Psychology Goes into Meltdown Over Racism Accusations, How the Obsession With Antibodies Has Failed Us, New OpenAI Chatbot Displays Clear Political Bias, Pfizer Was Judged to Have Misled the Public Over the Covid Vaccine But Faces a Derisory Fine. A Greenpeace USA report released today, Throwing Away the Future: How Companies Still Have It Wrong on Plastic Pollution "Solutions," warns consumers to be skeptical of the so-called solutions announced by multinational corporations to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.These false solutions, such as switching to paper or bioplastics, or It proposes finally to end the age of plastic by phasing out single-use plastics through a Global Plastics Treaty. This is a preposterous goal imagine phasing out disposable syringes and would be laughable except that environmentalists have already made some progress toward it. Plastic types "3" through "7"including children's toys, plastic bags, produce wrappings, yogurt and margarine tubs, coffee cups and to-go food containerswere reprocessed at rates of less than five percent. This is the same timeframe that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned human caused emissions must fall by nearly 50 percent to limit warming to 1.5. Tell Coca-Cola, Nestle and Unilever to phase out single use plastic, today! The content is provided for information purposes only. We ask for a minimum donation of 5 if you'd like to make a comment or post in our Forums. Recycled plastic bottles. The House Oversight Committee report shows that Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP continue their decades-long campaign of roadblocking true, science-based climate solutions. Consumer goods companies have also partnered with fossil fuel companies for decades to promote plastic recycling despite its failures. Big companies such as Apple and Walmart havesigned onto the commitment. Companies must phase out all single-use plastics and be more transparent about their plastic footprint, including the climate footprint of their packaging. To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here: Please note: To be able to comment on our articles you'll need to be a registered donor. Most of the plastic items you are encouraged to wash, sort, and put in blue bins usually end up in landfills or incinerators, if not polluting the You can opt out at any time. Instead, theyve had to pay dearly to get rid of it, typically by shipping it to Asian countries with cheaper labour and looser environmental rules. Recycling plastic has wasted vast sums on an enterprise that has been harmful to the environment as well as to humanity, says John Tierney in City Journal, and now even Greenpeace has admitted the truth on this. Second, even if it were all collected, mixed plastic waste cannot be recycled together, and it would be "functionally impossible to sort the trillions of pieces of consumer plastic waste produced each year," the report said. But that percentage falls to 29 percent for polypropylene commonly used in yogurt containers, 5 percent for plastic cups, and 1 percent for plastic plates. After peaking in 2014 at 10 percent, the trend has been decreasing, especially since China stopped accepting the West's plastic waste in 2018. They would drink their beverage, give the glass bottle back, and it would be sanitized and reused," she said. ", First, plastic waste is generated in vast quantities and is extremely difficult to collect as becomes clear during what the report called ineffective "volunteer cleanup stunts" funded by nonprofits such as "Keep America Beautiful.". Visit Greenpeace Fund, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable entity created to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues through research, the media and educational programs. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestl, Mondelz, Danone, Unilever, Colgate Palmolive, Procter & Gamble and Mars all buy packaging from manufacturers supplied with plastic resin or petrochemicals by well-known companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron Phillips, Ineos and Dow. Click here to sign in with This years report will serve as a baseline for what Greenpeace expects will be significant reforms in the near future. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. While finally admitting the futility of plastic recycling, Greenpeace is making no apologies for the long campaign to foist it on the public, and the group is unashamedly pushing a new strategy thats even worse. It proposes finally to end the age of plastic by phasing out single-use plastics through a Global Plastics Treaty. Now Greenpeace has seen the light, or at least a glimmer of rationality. ALDI scored the highest of all retailers because it has a plastic reduction target, a more comprehensive reduction plan, greater transparency, and a commitment to implement refill and reuse systems. The group hasissueda report accompanied by a press release headlined, Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End Street Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases. The groups overall policy remains delusional the report proposes a far more harmful alternative to recycling but its nonetheless encouraging to see environmentalists put aside their obsessions long enough to contemplate reality. Albertsons scored near the top for its commitment to decrease plastic usage, but the company has not yet set an overall reduction target. Greenpeace is calling on consumer goods companies to urgently move toward systems of reuse and package-free products. February 18, 2020. Last year, the organization released the 10th edition ofCarting Away the Oceans, which similarly ranked retailers on sustainable seafood efforts. October 24, 2022. Greenpeace plans to follow up with retailers to assess progress on plastic reduction initiatives, and report those efforts publicly. Meanwhile, plastic Greenpeace released a report on Sept. 16, 2020, Deception by the Numbers, which examines 52 projects touted by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) as chemical or advanced recycling.Greenpeaces findings say that many of these projects are either not viable or misleadingly promoted as recycling when they part may be reproduced without the written permission. However, Greenpeaces PET and HDPE bottle recycling rates differ significantly from those reported in the 2020 U.S. Post-consumer Plastic Recycling Data Text and images Greenpeace. Austria has set reuse targets of 25 percent by 2025 and at least 30 percent by 2030 for beverage packaging, while Portugal has also set the 30 percent by 2030 goal. Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. To date, more than 4 million people around the world have demanded that corporations take action to end the plastic pollution crisis by signing Greenpeaces International petition . Capucine Dayen, Greenpeace USA Global Comms Lead for Plastics: +33 647 971 819, capucine.dayen@greenpeace.org The shocking results Greenpeace Environmental Trust (Charity No. The analysis declares that mechanical and chemical Washington, DC A Greenpeace report released today,Packaging Away the Planet,ranks 20 of the largest U.S. grocery retailers for the first time on their efforts to eliminate single-use plastics. WebHowever, this take distorts the findings of the study Greenpeace cites. A Greenpeace USA study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons was recycled, around five percent. Retailers must develop comprehensive public policies to eliminate single-use plastics, and remain transparent with customers as they implement those plans.. 2022 Vox Media, LLC. Washington DC, United States A Greenpeace USA report released today, Throwing Away the Future: How Companies Still Have It Wrong on Plastic Pollution Greenpeace analyzed the US roughly 370 material recovery facilities to conduct its surveys. He writes: Now Greenpeace has seen the light, or at least a glimmer of rationality. Third, the recycling process itself is environmentally harmful, exposing workers to toxic chemicals and itself generating microplastics. WebPlastic Debris in the Worlds Oceans Solid materials, typically waste, that has found its way to the marine environment is called marine debris. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the countrys unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Greenpeace supporters have challenged Coca Cola to use less plastic, while countries like Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an Companies are urged to support an ambitious global plastics treaty that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastic and emphasizes reduction. The rest is exported to other countries to deal with (17%), buried in landfill (25%) or burnt in incinerators (45%). Concerns over plastic exports have been raised following a report by Greenpeace, which showed plastic waste shipped from the UK to Turkey illegally dumped and burned. This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. Washington, DC, September 14, 2021 A report released by Greenpeace USA today reveals how consumer goods companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace U.S. report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction." The government must set legally binding targets to almost entirely eliminate single-use plastic, starting with a target of a 50% cut in single-use plastic by 2025. Greenpeace estimates that US recycling facilities only have the capacity to process about 20.9 percent of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used to bottle up drinks. Katie Nelson is a Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA. Your information is safe and secure with us read our privacy policy. Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, a recent report released by Greenpeace USA, claims that most plastic simply cannot be recycled. They aggressively work to silence critics and show zero accountability even to our own government as evidenced by their attempts to obstruct the House Oversight Committees investigation. Without transparency around these relationships, consumer goods companies are largely able to avoid accountability for environmental or human rights violations committed by the companies that supply plastic for their packaging. That guide says companies should only make unqualified claims about their packaging or products being recyclable if 60 percent of their consumers have access to a recycling facility. Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. With company plastic packaging pledges popping up all over the shop since Blue Planet 2, we wanted to cut through the confusion by ranking UK supermarkets in a plastic league table. But being recyclable in theory doesn't mean products are being recycled in practice. Virgin productionof non-recycled plastic, that ismeanwhile is rapidly rising as the petrochemical industry expands, lowering costs. The question is whether retailers will take responsibility for this mess, and act.. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties. It is known to be the cause of injuries and Without urgent action, plastic production could triple by 2050, according to industry estimates. Ivecalculatedthat to offset the greenhouse impact of one passengers round-trip transatlantic flight, youd have to recycle 40,000 plastic bottles and if you used hot water to rinse those bottles, the net effect could bemorecarbon in the atmosphere. The report states that most types of plastic packaging are economically impractical to recycle and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. This must now happen with the oil and gas industry. Calling mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste a failure, the report says "it will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) Why is Our World-Beating NHS Such a Basket Case? Despite their best efforts to appear climate friendly, companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl are working alongside the fossil fuel industry to expand plastic production, which could lock the world into catastrophic emissions levels and a planet warmed beyond saving.. Increasing ambition on reusable packing and refill stations in-store is vital to reducing throwaway plastic. Washington DC (Dec. 9, 2022) In response to the House Oversight Committees report and release of documents showing repeated attempts by Big Oil to mislead the public on its role in the climate crisis, Anusha Narayanan, climate campaign director at Greenpeace USA, said: For the oil and gas industry, delay and distraction are the new denial. Thered beless plastic polluting the seasif Americans tossed their yogurt containers and water bottles into the trash, so that the plastic could be safely buried at the nearest landfill. "Industry groups and big corporations have been pushing for recycling as a solution," Greenpeace U.S. campaigner Lisa Ramsden told AFP. Here we go again. And the damage continues. Notably, while Whole Foods recently announced a handful of initiatives on plastics, the retailer finished in 11th for its failure to act at the scale needed to tackle the pollution crisis. The assessment found that, across the board, U.S. supermarkets are failing to adequately address the plastic pollution crisis they are contributing to. Weve known for years that plastic recycling rates are low, but theyve managed to get even worse. Why ban products that are cheaper, sturdier, lighter, cleaner, healthier, and better for the environment?. "This isn't actually a new conceptit's how the milkman used to be, it's how Coca-Cola used to get its beverages to people. Seabirds, whales and turtles have been found with plastic in their tums which can cause death as they cant digest real food properly. Despite often carrying the recycling symbol on their labels, products that use plastic types "3" through "7" fail to meet the Federal Trade Commission classification of recyclable. WebTake action on plastic. It can start by banning exports to other countries, including to members of the OECD, to end Fourth, recycled plastic carries toxicity risks through contamination with other plastic types in collection bins, preventing it from becoming food-grade material again. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form. Sprouts rounds out the top five, as the retailer is actively engaging suppliers and experts to develop a more comprehensive strategy on single-use plastics. Just 2.4 million tons of that plastic was recycled, or just under 5 percent compared to 8.7 percent in 2018. The report notes that only 5 to 6% of plastics were recycled in 2021, down from a high of 9.5% in 2014, although that was when plastic waste was being exported to But then, making life more pleasant for humans has never been high on the green agenda. The 40-page report is an update from a 2020 survey. The Environmental Protection Agency has promoted recycling as a way to reduce carbon emissions, but its own figuresshowthat the benefits are relatively small and come almost entirely from recycling paper products and metals, not plastic. A new report from Greenpeace calls plastic recycling a "failed concept" after 30 years of unsuccessful efforts to recycle plastics that left consumers with the idea they are helping prevent trash when most of their efforts end up in the landfill anyway. 284934). Nick Dixon, Toby Young and Will Jones Talk About Hunter Bidens Laptop, Kanye Praising Hitler and Englands Fast-Changing Demographics, Nature: Unvaccinated Were Victims of Discrimination During the Pandemic, Source of Americas Lockdown Rules Identified and Twitters Chief Censor Works For It, Incredibly High Excess Deaths Must Be Investigated, Says Australias Top Actuary Body. This projected growth would increase global emissions from the plastic life cycle by over 50 percent on 2019 levels by 2030, equivalent to nearly 300 coal-fired power plants. These fatal flaws have been clear since the start of the recycling movement. Greenpeace report sparks plastic export concerns. Virtually allthe consumer plastics polluting the worlds oceans comes frommismanaged wastein developing countries. The actual basis of the December 2021 Stina Inc. report commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada was to evaluate the suitability of plastic products and packaging for upcycling into food grade post-consumer resin (PCR). The state of plastic recycling in the US is so abysmal that no plastic packaging can even be considered recyclable, according to a new report published today In a recent story aired by Channel 4 news in the UK, an Exxon lobbyist is recorded stating that every aspect of plastics is a huge business, noting that it is going to grow. The lobbyist also calls plastics the future at a time when communities around the world are fighting back against single-use plastic pollution and demanding reductions in its use. For a type of plastic to be considered recyclable in practice and at scale, it needs to have a recycling rate of 30 percent, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation says. Most plastic simply cannot be recycled, a new Greenpeace USA report concludes. So back in May we partnered with the Environmental Investigation Agency to survey supermarkets on the full extent of their contribution to our plastic waste Big Oil doesnt want the public to know that efforts to reduce emissions without phasing out oil and gas production are not enough to keep our planet livable. It provided overwhelming proof that the UKs waste system cannot cope with the enormous amount of waste generated. The report found that PET and HDPE products had actual reprocessing rates of 20.9 percent and 10.3 percent, respectivelyboth down slightly from Greenpeace U.S.'s last survey in 2020. We depend on your donations to keep this site going. This document is subject to copyright. Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. According to Greenpeace U.S.'s survey, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation's 375 material recovery facilities. This stops now and Congress must reject any of the oil and gas handouts that Manchin tries to force into the NDAA., Contact: Tyler Kruse, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [emailprotected], 808-741-2791. None of the supermarkets scored above 35 out of 100 this year. Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. Fifth and finally, the process of recycling is prohibitively expensive. The only solution to plastic pollution is stopping our reliance on plastic. Ramsden called on corporations to support a Global Plastics Treaty, which United Nations members agreed to create in February, and move toward refill and reuse strategies. 702 H Street, NW, STE 300, Washington, D.C. 20001 | 1-800-722-6995, House Oversight Committees report and release of documents, As Investigations Into Big Oil Continues, Manchin And Schumer Try To Push A Dirty Permitting Deal, New Data: Oil and Gas Industry Has Spent an Average of $4.3 Million per Senate Seat and $490,000 per House Seat, In the Dark: How Social Media Companies' Climate Disinformation Problem is Hidden from the Public. For this report, they looked at a benchmark set in the Ellen MacArthur FoundationsGlobal Commitment an effort to get organizations around the world to reduce plastic waste. Greenpeaces report utilized a combination of publicly available information and survey responses to formulate the retailers scores. If these companies truly cared about the environment, they would end these alliances and move away from single-use plastics immediately.. With so little of the waste recycled, no type of plastic used in the US meets an industry-backed standard for whats considered recyclable, says Greenpeace. Greenpeace, Canonbury Villas, London N1 2PN. Read more on thred.com. A recent Greenpeace USA report about the state of plastic recycling in the United States shocked many residents. The report, Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, is an update of a 2020 report that looked at the types of plastic accepted by material recovery facilities (MRFs) in the U.S. and In 2022, 60 percent of the US population did have access to municipal collection of PET and HDPE bottles and jugs for recycling, according to Greenpeace. Greenpeace is urging the other major supermarkets to do the same. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in water and soda bottles; and the second is high density polyethylene (HDPE), seen in milk jugs, shampoo bottles and cleaning product containers. 702 H Street, NW, STE 300, Washington, D.C. 20001 | 1-800-722-6995. For high-density polyethylene (HDPE) commonly made into milk jugs, shampoo, and detergent bottles capacity falls to just 10.3 percent. Thats when China, where the US previously shipped a majority of its so-called recyclables, decided to stop accepting most plastics. Much of itends up illegally dumped, burned (spewing toxic fumes), or reprocessed at rudimentary facilities that leak some of the plastics into rivers. Advocacy groups The Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics similarly found that the recycling rate remained at about 5 percent in 2021. The Greenpeace report offers a wealth of statistics and an admirably succinct diagnosis: Mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste has largely failed and will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) environmentally harmful to reprocess, (4) often made of and contaminated by toxic materials, and (5) not economical to recycle. Greenpeace could have added a sixth reason: forcing people to sort and rinse their plastic garbage is a waste of everyones time. With so little of the waste recycled, no type of plastic packaging used in the US meets an industry-backed standard for whats considered recyclable, says Greenpeace. Youll need to set up an account to comment if you dont already have one. Oil and gas executives and other powerful corporate interests want to keep us home by spreading misinformation and contributing to politicians supporting voter suppression efforts. It is clear that they should not be in the room where decisions are being made. Its not enough for a retailer to eliminate plastic straws or make small changes to produce bags and walk away from this issue, said Pinsky. Plastic pollution is a global problem that has persisted despite decades of marketing aimed at shifting responsibility to consumers through recycling. New Greenpeace USA report details how consumer goods giants are fueling Big Oils plastic expansion. Banning single-use plastic grocery bags hasadded carbon dioxideto the atmosphere by forcing shoppers to use heavier paper bags and tote bags that require much more energy to manufacture and transport, John says. The shocking results suggest that the UKs homes produce 96.6 billion pieces of plastic packaging waste a year, with only 12% being recycled in the UK. Just 9 percent of all the worlds plastic waste had ever been recycled as of 2015, a 2017 study published in the journal Science Advances found. The state of plastic recycling in the US is so abysmal that no plastic packaging can even be considered recyclable, according to a new report published today by environmental group Greenpeace. Households in the US tossed out 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021, says the new report. A new Greenpeace report calls plastic recycling a myth based on the low amount of material that gets recycled. Greenpeace USA Global Plastics Project Leader To read the entire report, please visit the following link: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/reports/the-climate-emergency-unpacked/, Katie Nelson, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA: +1 (678) 644-1681, [emailprotected]. Should a Christian be Forced to Design a Website for a Gay Marriage? WebPeople around the world have come together to end plastic pollution, and its working. She named Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle as prime offenders. Now Greenpeace has seen the light, or at least a glimmer of rationality. or. This week three Congressional committees held hearings investigating Big Oils shady tactics to delay climate action, silence those who protect their communities, and sacrifice lives to grow their profits. Greenpeace evaluated retailers on their policies, plastic reduction efforts, innovation and initiatives, and transparency. And because plastic degrades each time its rehashed, even gadgets made with recycled materials typically need to be reinforced with new plastics generating ever more plastic waste. Greenpeace USA Global Plastics Project Leader Graham Forbes said: The same well-known brands that are driving the plastic pollution crisis are helping to fuel the climate crisis. These industries have worked together to oppose legislation that would restrict single-use packaging and advocated for so-called chemical or advanced recycling projects. The new report analyzed plastic generation, use, and recycling in the U.S., and found that in 2021, U.S. households produced about 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021. While finally admitting the futility of plastic recycling, Greenpeace is making no apologies for the long campaign to foist it on the public, and the group is unashamedly pushing a new strategy thats even worse. He goes on to state that the strategy is to say, you cant ban plastics, because heres why, comparing this to tactics used to undermine action on climate change. The paper and cotton bags also take up more space in landfills and produce more greenhouse emissions as they decompose. The organizations findings build on previous research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that found that the plastic recycling rate in the US had fallen to about 5 percent in 2019. In New York City, recycling a ton of plastic costs at least six times more than sending it to a landfill, according to a 2020 Manhattan Institutestudy, which estimated that the city could save $340 million annually by sending all its trash to landfills. Greenpeace Australia Pacific Submission on the Climate Change Bill 2022 and the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022. It must also ban plastic waste exports, set a moratorium on new incinerators and finally implement a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and new Extended Producer Responsibility requirements. We take the security of your data seriously. Aldi and Sainsburys have committed to halving their plastic footprint by 2025. Washington DC (Dec. 9, 2022)In response to the House Oversight Committees report and release of documents showing repeated attempts by Big Oil to mislead the public on its role in the climate crisis, Anusha Narayanan, climate campaign director at Greenpeace USA, said: For the oil and gas industry, delay and distraction are the new denial. gadgets made with recycled materials typically need to be reinforced with new plastics, Recycled plastic wont solve techs waste problem, SpaceX almost doubles its current Starlink prices in Ukraine, Heres what we know about Elon Musks Neuralink event, SpaceX accused of age discrimination by former employee. While the plastics supply chain is largely opaque, the report identified supply chain relationships between the nine major consumer goods companies researched and at least one major fossil fuel and/or petrochemical company. The results send a clear and urgent message: recycling is not enough we are producing far too much plastic packaging waste to deal with so we must turn off the plastic tap. The UK government needs to take urgent action to tackle this plastic crisis. Washington D.C. Greenpeace Inc. 12 million tonnes of plastic waste pours into our oceans each year. The report, The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies are Fueling Big Oils Plastic Expansion, exposes the business links between the worlds largest consumer goods and fossil fuel companies and the overall lack of transparency around emissions from plastic packaging. Greenpeace USA just released a new report titled Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, which is an update of a 2020 report. Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban. And again just because people have access to PET and HDPE recycling facilities doesnt mean that those products are actually getting recycled. When Iwrote about ita quarter-century ago, experts were already warning that recycling plastic was hopelessly impractical because it was so complicated and labour-intensive, but municipal officials kept trying in the hope that somebody would eventually find it worthwhile to buy their plastic trash. The UK is a major contributor to the worlds plastic crisis, generating more plastic waste per person than any other country except the USA. Our recycling system is already overwhelmed by plastic waste. "New plastic directly competes with recycled plastic, and it's far cheaper to produce and of higher quality," said the report. 702 H Street, NW, STE 300, Washington, D.C. 20001 | 1-800-722-6995, recent story aired by Channel 4 news in the UK, https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/reports/the-climate-emergency-unpacked/. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no Trader Joes finished fourth in the ranking, as it has begun to eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging from its stores nationwide. A new report by the environmental nonprofit Greenpeace released on Monday finds that the vast majority of plastic waste produced by U.S. households is not recycled. According to the report, there were five main reasons why plastic recycling is a "failed concept. Your feedback is important to us. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) A new Greenpeace report estimates that only 5% to 6% of U.S. plastics are being recycled. 1. The results of The Big Plastic Count provide a truly unique snapshot of the scale of the countrys plastic crisis. and Terms of Use. 24 October 2022. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, Plastic Recycling Is Only about 5% of plastic waste gets recycled in US, new report says, Ocean study shows most deep-water microbes are almost inactive, Using plant-derived nanothylakoid units to induce anabolism in mammals to reduce disease progression, Best of Last Year: The top Phys.org articles of 2022, Near-infrared polarized light observations of three known interacting twin-disk systems, Tidal disruption event J150052 was caused by a rapidly spinning intermediate-mass black hole, study finds, Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletter are free features that allow you to receive your favorite sci-tech news updates in your email inbox. The House Oversight Committee report shows that Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP continue their decades-long campaign of roadblocking true, science-based climate solutions that address the damage they are doing to our health and the destruction of the planet. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). These are numbered "1" and "2" according to a standardized system in which there are seven plastic types. Tyler Kruse is a senior communications specialist with Greenpeace USA covering climate and energy. The US, one of the worlds biggest plastic polluters, has struggled to figure out what to do with its plastic waste since a monumental shift in 2018. Washington, DC A Greenpeace report released today, Packaging Away the Planet, ranks 20 of the largest U.S. grocery retailers for the first time on their efforts to The System is Broken. This is because recycling facilities for these types aren't available to a "substantial majority" of the population, defined as 60 percent, and because the collected products are not being used in the manufacturing or assembly of new items. The report, The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies are Fueling Big Oils Plastic Expansion, exposes the business links between the worlds largest consumer goods and fossil fuel companies and the overall lack of transparency around emissions from plastic packaging. Some countries are leading the way, including India, which recently banned 19 single-use plastic items. In fact, new data shows that the oil and gas industry has spent an estimated average of $4.3 million per Senate seat and $490,000 per House seat supporting their back-pocket candidates. This report reveals the results of The Big Plastic Count. Washington, DC, September 14, 2021 A report released by Greenpeace USA today reveals how consumer goods companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl are driving the expansion of plastic production and threatening the global climate and communities around the world. Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. Not only do these companies have the resources to reimagine their stores with refill and reuse systems, they can use their buying power to pressure consumer goods companies like Nestl, Coca-Cola, and Unilever to act as well. It is clear that many consumer goods companies want to hide their cozy relationships with fossil fuel and petrochemical companies, but this report reveals the extent to which they are working toward common goals that pollute the planet and harm communities worldwide, continued Forbes. To read the fullPackaging Away the Planetreport, please visit:https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/packaging-away-the-planet.pdf, For a scorecard of how the 20 retailers ranked, please visit:https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-supermarket-plastics-scorecard.png, Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace Senior Communications Specialist, P: 301-675-8766. The study found that in 2021, out of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by U.S. households, only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or about 5 percent. Why demonise plastic, he asks. Instead of doubling down on pledges to clean up their act, the brands responsible for producing this waste global Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released today, finds that U.S. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End Street Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases.. Released this morning (17 May) the report, called Trashed, detailed findings from a Greenpeace UK investigation in The state of plastic recycling in the US is so abysmal that no plastic packaging can even be considered recyclable, according to a new report published today by environmental group Greenpeace. Plastic has been found in the deepest, most remote parts of the ocean. Greenpeace is urging U.S. retailers and consumer goods companies to eliminate single-use consumer plastic, and to invest in reusable, refillable, and package-free approaches. Yet, Senator Manchin and other oil-backed politicians continue to try to force handouts to these same companies that show no remorse for the millions of deaths they cause every year. After the tobacco hearings, lawmakers were able to craft legislation with a clear understanding of the health risks of tobacco. "By doing that, they have shirked all responsibility" for ensuring that recycling actually works, she added. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1449240174198-2'); }); Titled "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or around five percent. Visit Greenpeace Fund, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable entity created to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues through research, the media and educational programs. Please give what you can. Theyve found yet another way to harm both the environment and humans, as demonstrated in the movement to ban single-use plastic bags. Greenpeace (2021), The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies are Fuelling Big Oils Plastics Expansion. A shocking new report warns weve wasted decades and billions of dollars promoting recycling as the solution to plastic waste when in actual fact, . Over one week in May, nearly a quarter of a million people counted their plastic waste to contribute to this first of its kind citizen science investigation. You dont have to leave your phone number, but if you do, well use it to keep you updated on how you can get involved through petitions, campaigning, volunteering and donating. The environmental price has also been high because the plastic in American recycling bins has gone to developing countries with primitive waste-handling systems. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. Thred Media - Sofia Phillips 6h. Chile is moving to phase out single-use cutlery and mandating refillable bottles. A new report from Greenpeace found that people may be putting plastic into recycling bins but almost none of it is actually being recycled. / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Thats a far cry from how much plastic is actually being rehashed in the US even when looking specifically at the two most commonly recycled types of plastics the ones used in beverage bottles and containers for common household goods. Over one week in May, nearly a quarter of a million people counted their plastic waste to contribute to this first of its kind citizen science investigation. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors. The findings build on a 2020 report by Greenpeace that found that only some PET and HDPE bottles can be legitimately labeled recyclable based on the Federal Trade Commissions green guide to environmental marketing. Much of this drop off has to do with the fact that China stopped accepting WebGreenpeace report shows failure of single-use plastic recycling. Of that, only about 2.4 million tons were recycled. A 27-point assessment of Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube found that all companies fell short on addressing climate disinformation. Almost a quarter of a million participants threw away 6.4 million pieces of packaging waste in just one week, yet only 12% is likely recycled. The fossil fuel and consumer goods industries often work through front groups that advocate for these false solutions, including the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, the Recycling Partnership, and the American Chemistry Council. Households in the US tossed out 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021, says the new report. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. Medical research advances and health news, The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances, The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web. Grocery retailers across the country sell obscene amounts of products in throwaway plastics every single day, yet none of them are acting with the urgency needed to address the pollution crisis theyre causing, said Greenpeace Plastics Campaigner David Pinsky. Washington DC (Dec. 9, 2022) In response to the House Oversight Committees report and release of documents showing repeated attempts by Big Oil to mislead the Visit Greenpeace Fund, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable entity created to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues through research, the media and educational programs. ALDI, Kroger, and Albertsons Companies scored the highest in this years assessment, while Meijer, Wakefern, and H-E-B were the worst. Walmart, Hy-Vee, Target, Costco, and Wegmans finished in the top 10, but all have a long way to go toward implementing comprehensive plans to address throwaway plastics. Kroger was the only top-five retailer to commit to ban single-use plastic checkout bags and has joined Loop a new refill and reuse initiative, but the company has not yet released a comprehensive plastics reduction plan. Meanwhile, Manchin and Schumer are trying to push through a Dirty Deal that benefits the same industry. 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