Plastic Wars PBS

How much plastic has ever been recycled?

10%

In 1989, the plastic industry realized that their image was deteriorating again. What did they do to improve their image?

Advertising

In the late 90's, how did the US solve the amount of plastic waste that we had in the country?

China

In the late 80's, plastics had a public image problem and a top executive was tasked with solving this public image issue. Many fossil fuel companies put money towards this problem. What did they do? And what did they want to happen after they started this? What was their motive?

Council for solid waste solution Banned two types of packaging plastic in New York Started a trend city council of Saint Paul Minnesota voted to outlaw the use of polystyrene plastics Wanted people to recycle more plastic

. What did China stop doing in 2018?

Country wanted to clean up their image.

After the "Keep America Beautiful" campaign in the 70's, people helped clean up the more visible litter, but what's missing?

Did little to address the root cause Unchecked growth in house hold waste.

Chevron Philips spoke with PBS. They said they support the goal of the American Chemical Council. What is this goal and how do they think this can be accomplished?

Getting plastic waste out of land fields by 2040. More education on how to recycle. Build up infrastructure for collection. Invest in innovation.

Is there a problem with sending our waste to Asia?

Growing concerns that a lot of plastic waste is not being handled the right way last year customs found that half the containers of plastic waste they inspected were contaminated with trash and plastic that can not be recycled.

Where is the US sending plastic waste now?

Indonesia

There is a lot of confusion about what can be recycled or not and where they should end up. Was this an accidental happening?

No

Some plastics, such as milk jugs and soda bottles are easily recycled and can be sold. However, many plastics are more difficult to recycle. These are called "mixed plastics". What is the deal with mixed plastics; can money be made by selling these? What happens to these?

No Goes into the garbage.

We are more concerned with climate change and there is more environmental pressure on the fossil fuel industry. What are the gas and oil companies banking on?

Plastics

What is the abundance of natural gas doing to the cost of plastic?

Plentiful supplies of natural gas are driving down the cost of making plastic.

In the late 80's and early 90's, plastics industry quietly went to states and convinced them to require that the recycling chasing arrows triangle be placed on all plastic containers sold in the states. The plastic industry was using this recycling symbol as a marketing tool. How is this used as a marketing tool?

Products received as more recyclable and more environmental makes their product look better

What does pushing the recycling solution do for plastic companies?

Put it on the consumer not them

What has been our (pretty much only) solution to our plastic problem?

Recycling

More of our food is being packaged in clamshells and tubs and they do a great job at what they are supposed to do. Most of these packages also have a recycling symbol on it. Does this means that they can actually be recycled?

Technically yes but only in a lab

A report in 1973 from a plastics company stated what about sorting, reprocessing (recycling) plastics?

The cost of new plastic is so low that sorting and reprocessing used plastic can not be justified.

Did the plastic industry really believe that recycling would ever happen on a large scale and solve our plastic problem?

The inducstry expressed doubt it would ever happen on a large scale.

The video of the turtle with the straw stuck in its nose started an anti-plastic movement. What effect did this have on the plastic industry?

The plastic industry continued to expand.

In Oregon, new sorting machine, in which the American Chemical Council was one of the sponsors, is being used. However, a similar effort took place more than 25 years ago, also sponsored by the American Chemical Council. What happened to that sorting machine/plant used more than 25 years ago?

They shut it down because they could not make money. They sold the 1.5 million dollar machine for scrap.

By the year 2050, what is the estimate of global plastic production?

Will triple

Where does ~60% of the plastic in the ocean come from?

asia

What did the plastic industry say about the techniques for cleaning and sorting plastic waste in private?

has not been developed for large scale economic application. another one said "there are no effect market mechanisms for mixed plastic"