The Plastic Pollution Crisis: How Recycling Fails and What Needs to Change
The Plastic Pollution Crisis: How Recycling Fails and What Needs to Change
Author: Team Grove
Recycling symbols are everywhere, from soda bottles to plastic bags to berry containers, but how much plastic is actually recycled? According to Greenpeace reports, only 5% of plastic gets recycled, regardless of what goes into your bin.¹ And despite growing public awareness, corporate green pledges, and laws limiting single-use plastics, the reality is that plastic production is rapidly expanding rather than contracting. The world is facing a plastic pollution crisis.
Globally, more than 348 million tons of plastic are produced annually. The US ranks second in the world for plastic production, and since 2019, at least 42 US plastic-producing plants have been completed or permitted for construction.² To put this crisis further in perspective, 1 million plastic bags are used each minute in the US, despite bans in certain cities and states. And ocean plastics are currently estimated at 75-199 million tons, with some organizations predicting there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.³
So what can you do to make an impact in a world where plastic production is growing, yet the solution — plastic recycling — isn't effective? Let’s take a closer look at how the global plastic crisis came to be, how the recycling system is broken, and actionable steps you can take toward a future with less plastic waste.
Who is responsible for the plastic pollution crisis?
Cheap to produce and convenient, disposable plastic has taken over the consumer goods industry over the past several decades, making it the largest contributor to the global plastic pollution crisis. More than 76 million pounds of plastic packaging are created by US companies every single day, with major brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, and Unilever being top plastic polluters.⁴ And despite brands and government agencies promoting the idea that single-use plastics are recyclable, they've known otherwise since the 1970s.⁵
Though most recycling centers end up sending the bulk of their plastic waste to landfills or overseas, a steady campaign of misinformation has led the majority of Americans to think plastic recycling is a viable option, putting the onus on consumers to ensure plastic waste makes it into the recycling bin (rather than reducing plastic consumption overall). A poll by the nonprofit Consumer Action even found that nearly a third of Americans believe plastic is the most recyclable packaging material and 58% believe plastics can be recycled indefinitely.⁶ Despite well-intentioned efforts on the part of the consumer to recycle, the truth is that plastic recycling doesn’t work.
Why is it hard to recycle plastic?
Plastic is easy to make, but it requires time, energy, money, and specific facilities to be recycled. These resources require a level of investment that the US government hasn’t committed to, making it difficult for US recycling centers to keep up with the waste they receive, especially when they often need to make a profit to operate.
Not only that, many kinds of plastic can’t be recycled at all. Some forms of waste, like plastic bags, can’t be recycled because the material is too lightweight and gets caught in recycling machinery. Other types of waste become contaminated, for example, from food waste, in recycling bins and can’t be reused. There are even some forms of plastic that don’t melt easily, so they can’t be molded into anything new.
Even the plastics that are recyclable can only be recycled 2-3 times at most because its polymer chain grows shorter and it loses integrity and quality. If a product isn’t worthwhile for a recycling center, it gets sent to the landfill or exported to other countries where it’s sometimes recycled, but often left in massive dump sites that pollute habitats both near and far. The most common plastics, like #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET), can be temporarily recycled into other products if they’re cleaned, disposed of properly, and sorted. Many of these plastics never make it to a recycling bin, however, or communities lack the proper facilities and systems for recycling to take place.
How does plastic waste then impact the environment?
Most plastic waste is sent to the landfill where it can contaminate soil and groundwater, gets incinerated, or joins the 14 million tons of discarded plastic polluting the world’s oceans annually. According to the EPA, US landfills receive roughly 27 million tons of plastic annually while 5.6 million tons of plastic are burned, releasing harmful greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, polluting the air, and contaminating water for neighboring communities. Emissions from plastic production are on track to outpace coal emissions by 2030, leading to some organizations even calling it the “New Coal.”⁷
What can you do to help?
Even though the plastic crisis is a collective problem, individuals and families can have a positive impact on the environment and status quo by reducing their own plastic consumption. Plastic is everywhere, and going plastic-free isn’t easy, but here are some small changes you can make to start cutting out plastic.
4 small steps to begin using less plastic
1. Invest in reusable and refillable products — a reusable coffee thermos, water bottle, refillable soaps, canvas shopping bags, etc. The more times you’re able to use the same item, the fewer items you ultimately send to the landfill.
2. Since the kitchen accounts for the bulk of waste in many households, try switching to unpackaged produce or shopping for essentials like rice and coffee at bulk bin stores where you can bring your own reusable containers.
3. Switch to plastic-free or low-plastic cleaning and personal care products to eliminate single-use plastic waste from your home, room by room. Not sure which materials are better than plastic? Look out for aluminum and glass, which are both infinitely recyclable, as well as compostable paper products made from wood or, even better, fast-growing bamboo.
4. Buy from companies that are dedicated to helping you make an impact: B Corp certified companies that advocate for plastic action, companies that are transparent about the impacts of their products, and companies that invest in programs to ease the effects of plastic production and pollution. For example, when you shop daily essentials at Grove, you’ll not only see Beyond Plastic™ badges that indicate which products are best for the environment, but also support plastic waste collection efforts around the world.
Will plastic ever be phased out?
The plastic crisis can seem hopeless and overwhelming, but there is a path forward to a plastic-free future with CPG industry leaders actively trying to solve the problem. With 75% of consumers supporting a ban on single-use plastics, there's never been a better time for brands and the people who buy from them to come together for change.⁸ Through sustained effort, innovation, and forward-thinking, a plastic-free future is possible.
Sources:
1 Greenpeace. (October 24, 2022). New Greenpeace Report: Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End Street—Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases. Retrieved December 30, 2024, from https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/new-greenpeace-report-plastic-recycling-is-a-dead-end-street-year-after-year-plastic-recycling-declines-even-as-plastic-waste-increases/
2 Statista. (n.d.). Plastic waste: A dossierPlus. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/press/p/plastic_waste_dossierplus/
3 Plastic Soup Foundation. (n.d.). More plastic than fish. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-soup/more-plastic-than-fish/
4 Waste Management World. (n.d.). The top plastic polluters. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://waste-management-world.com/artikel/the-top-plastic-polluters/
5 NPR. (2020, September 11). How Big Oil misled the public into believing plastic would be recycled. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled
6 Waste360. (2023, December 6). Poll: Americans incorrectly believe plastic is the most recyclable material. Waste360. https://www.waste360.com/plastics/poll-americans-incorrectly-believe-plastic-most-recyclable-material
7 The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change. (2021, October 21). The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5eda91260bbb7e7a4bf528d8/t/616ef29221985319611a64e0/1634661022294/REPORT_The_New-Coal_Plastics_and_Climate-Change_10-21-2021.pdf
8 Reuters. (2022, February 22). *75% of people want single-use plastics banned, global survey finds*. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/75-people-want-single-use-plastics-banned-global-survey-finds-2022-02-22/
