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A new report calls chemical recycling a ‘dangerous deception’ — and a former plastic lobbyist agrees

Summary

Grist reports on a recent investigation by nonprofits Beyond Plastics and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), labeling chemical recycling as a "dangerous deception." The report argues that chemical recycling, promoted as a solution to manage "hard-to-recycle" plastics, is an unreliable and polluting approach, exacerbating pollution and environmental injustice. It criticizes the petrochemical industry's push for chemical recycling and calls for a national moratorium on new chemical recycling operations in the U.S. The report also highlights the failure of chemical recycling facilities, with most producing fuel to be burned instead of creating new plastic products. The investigation urges President Joe Biden to take action and international negotiators to disavow chemical recycling as part of global efforts to address the plastic crisis.

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