On 15 February 2024, the Center for Climate Integrity (CCC) released a devastating report, The Fraud of Plastic Recycling, which, based on numerous previous studies and recently uncovered internal documents, shows us that we have been misled and misinformed about the recyclability of plastic products and that we have been misinformed about the recyclability of plastics, in yet another of the most environmentally significant deceptions of the public, orchestrated by multinational corporations who knew that plastic recycling was neither technically nor economically feasible.
This serious news, which should be on the front pages of Spanish newspapers, on the front pages of entertainment programs, in the denunciation of science itself, and in the protests of civil citizens who suffer from disinformation, has only been picked up by some digital media. The Ministry of Ecological Transition should speak out immediately and find solutions, because the administrations are accomplices since they are responsible for monitoring the destination of the waste and guaranteeing the safety of any effective campaign, without lies or impossible solutions.
El Español and Diario.es report in detail on this denunciation, which the authorities should immediately take to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to verify the enormous conclusions of the report and the deception that has been perpetrated on society for more than 30 years. In the same way, the European Union must take immediate action to solve the serious problem of the climate crisis, which is being aggravated, if possible, by the deception of the multinationals, with the consent of the politicians. The report states that the very wide range of plastic materials technically limits recyclability because it is cheaper to produce new plastic.
For decades we have been sold the possibility of recycling by the big petrochemical companies, supported by administrations and large information campaigns, when in reality it is not possible and it is estimated, according to information from El Español, that only 9% of plastic waste in the world has ever been recycled, 12% has been incinerated and 79% has accumulated in natural ecosystems.
What can we do as citizens? What will happen to plastics after this report? What solutions will we be given? Politicians are looking the other way, hoping that this report will go unnoticed, as we can see from the little information that is given about it. As always, and as expressed in the report’s conclusions, they are blamed for creating and perpetuating the plastic waste crisis and for imposing costs on citizens who have to pay for the consequences.
There is no independent environmental prosecutor in the European Union to act immediately and bring to justice those responsible for this environmental outrage, this attack on human dignity, and the good work of citizens. It is possible that this report, like so many others of great importance that identify the causes and those responsible for the climate crisis, will be forgotten and hidden from civil society.
On the website of the Center for Climate Integrity, you can read the headline “The plastic recycling fraud”. You can also download the full report and the leaked documents.
What is left for the citizens if we cannot be protected by the administrations that have the duty and obligation to produce this kind of report, to protect us from the lies and deception of the multinationals, and to bring those responsible to justice? What choice do they give us? Should we carry bags of plastic to the doors of political offices? What are the scientists doing who do not publicly denounce this fraud and demand immediate solutions? Then they blame the plastic microbeads on the citizens for not recycling. Will we never wake up?
On the other hand, the Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Service has discovered 5,700 tonnes of plastic waste illegally exported to countries in the global south. They also warned of an increase in fires at recycling plants since the ban on dumping waste in China instead of recycling it. In 2023, there were 109 fires, a new record for the previous year. What is happening? Despite awareness campaigns, there is no thorough control of recycling companies by the authorities. Why this irresponsibility?
It is desperate to know that we, the citizens, are on our own when it comes to solving the climate crisis and that we will have to pay for it, because of this information of deception and deliberate misinformation. What will be the next truthful information that will open our eyes again to what is happening around us? How long will the deception and misinformation we are being fed continue?
