How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled
IMAGE: STELLA MCCARTNEY
For years, consumers have been led to believe that “it’s ok to use plastic” because it can all be recycled.
Unfortunately much less of our “recycled” plastic actually gets recycled. The process of sorting is complicated, and the systems for turning recycled plastic into new and valuable consumer goods are often more expensive than using new virgin plastics.
NPR’s Laura Sullivan investigates how this all came to be- from advertising campaigns in the 70s to the creation of the often-misleading triangle recycling symbol.
Read more on NPR.