Report Reveals 'Fraud' of Plastic Recycling
Vocabulary
Repeat each word, definition, and example sentence after your tutor.
mislead
Verb
mɪsˈliːd
to make someone believe something that is not true
Many customers were misled by the company regarding the effectiveness of the diet pills.
fraud
Noun
frɔːd
a crime that involves cheating to benefit financially or politically
The judge ruled that the accountant's actions did not constitute fraud.
misinformation
Noun
ˌmɪsɪnfərˈmeɪʃn
inaccurate or false information
Social media platforms were criticized for allowing the spread of misinformation during the pandemic.
incinerate
Verb
ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt
to completely destroy something by burning
Medical waste in hospitals is typically incinerated to eliminate the risk of disease transmission.
landfill
Noun
ˈlændfɪl
a place where trash is buried under the ground
This eco-friendly bag will biodegrade in landfills within a few months.
dump
Verb
dʌmp
to get rid of something in a careless or harmful way
Tons of contaminated waste has been dumped near a popular surfing beach in California.
Article
Report Reveals 'Fraud' of Plastic Recycling
According to the UN Environment Program, 400 million metric tons of plastic waste is produced around the world each year.
However, less than 10% of the plastic waste humans have produced has actually been recycled. And a new report from the Center for Climate Integrity says big companies have misled the public about the reality of recycling for years.
Called The Fraud of Plastic Recycling, the report says petrochemical companies — companies that produce products from fossil fuels, including plastics — have been promising plastic recycling results that they know are not achievable for decades.
The report names big petrochemical companies like Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron Phillips and Dow as the driving force behind promoting plastic recycling as a "false solution" even as they increase plastic production.
It explains that the recycling of many plastics is often too expensive to be efficient, with the production of new plastics being much cheaper, and with higher quality results.
But this hasn't stopped companies from promoting many plastics as easy to recycle, leading to a growing crisis of misinformation around plastic waste.
The report notes that, as early as 1991, the US Environmental Protection Agency determined that only two types of plastic could be recycled into high-quality products. Those are polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is used for drink bottles; and high density polyethylene, or HDPE, used for things like detergent bottles and food containers.
But many other plastic products are collected for recycling. And instead of being recycled, they're exported, incinerated, sent to landfill sites, or dumped in the ocean.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres says every day 2,000 truckloads of plastic waste is dumped into our oceans, lakes and rivers.
It goes to places like Indonesia, where plastic often washes up in huge piles on beaches and gets caught in fishing nets. Indonesia itself is the world's second-biggest producer of plastic waste, after China.
But the report notes that even plastic that can be recycled can only be recycled once or maybe twice. So all plastic eventually becomes waste — recycling just delays it.
Discussion
1.
What are your thoughts on the Center for Climate Integrity's report?
2.
Do you find it surprising that only 10% of the plastic waste humans have produced has been recycled?
3.
Were you aware that there is so much misinformation around plastic recycling?
4.
Do you know much about how your country handles plastic waste?
5.
Has your country taken any steps recently to reduce plastic waste?
6.
Do you expect the issue of plastic waste to improve over the next few decades?
7.
Have you taken any steps to reduce your plastic consumption?
8.
How difficult do you think it would be to go plastic-free?
