Thread by @ZeroWastePete

1/ New evidence coming from Georgia shows that so-called “Advanced Recycling” is just the plastic industry’s latest greenwashing tactic designed to mislead the public. Let’s unpack this false solution for this week’s #FacilityFriday @SenDavidWatters @NHHouseofReps @HowardPearlNH

2/ “Advanced Recycling” is a term coined by the plastic industry that refers to technologies that break down plastic waste into a liquid mixture. Industry claims that this material is used to make new plastics but that is a lie. It is ALWAYS burned. #FacilityFriday

3/This week, Brightmark was forced to halt plans to build the world’s largest plastic-to-fuel facility in Georgia after failing prove that its existing facility in Indiana was able to successfully recycle plastic using the same technology. #FacilityFriday bit.ly/3JMWPWv

4/ Brightmark’s failure to prove its technology can recycle plastic is not surprising. @NRDC found that, while hundreds of facilities have been proposed, only eight are operational. What’s more, none of them recycle plastics. #FacilityFriday bit.ly/3KPNGgX

5/ Instead, these facilities just produce polluting fuel and hazardous waste. Take Agilyx’s facility in Oregon. The company claims it converts polystyrene into styrene oil, which is then used to make new plastics. That’s NOT what’s happening. #FacilityFriday

6/ Internal records from Agilyx show that it is shipping hundreds of thousands of pounds of styrene oil to be burned for energy – not to be made into new plastics. The facility also generates 500,000lbs of hazardous waste each year. This also is being burned. #FacilityFriday

7/ The fact is, “advanced recycling” is not #recycling at all. It’s an industry shell game that keeps single-use plastics in production, contributes to climate change, and produces toxic chemicals and waste that harm public health and the environment. #FacilityFriday

8/ But Big Plastic won’t admit this. They want everyone to think they have a solution to the plastic crisis. That way, they can keep producing as much plastic as they want. In fact, they are fighting to make it easier to build these plastic burning facilities. #FacilityFriday

9/The American Chemistry Council, an industry lobbying group whose members include Exxon, Dow, and Dupont, are pushing legislation at the state level that exempts plastic burning facilities from solid waste regulation.
clf.org/blog/corporati…

10/ Deregulating these facilities means they can be developed faster – with less government oversight and minimal public input. It also means the company won’t need to disclose how much plastic they accept, where it is going, and what it is used for. #FacilityFriday

11/ To date, the American Chemistry Council has successfully passed deregulation bills in almost 20 states and now, they have their eyes set on New England – with bills in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire introduced this session. #FacilityFriday

12/ In CT, the plastics industry has been pushing both its deregulatory bill AND a compromised #ProducerResponsibility for packaging bill that would create a loophole for so-called “advanced recycling.” ctmirror.org/2022/04/01/we-…

13/ In RI, the plastics industry is back again with its pro-burning bill, with a new twist. This year’s bill includes a recycled content mandate – but pretending that burning has anything to do with recycling is just more of the same #Greenwashing. #FacilityFriday

14/ In NH, a deregulation bill passed the Senate and is now in the House. Industry lobbyists argue the bill will help NH meet its waste goals. Yet, they ignored the fact that these facilities, at best, produce fuel that is burned and not used to make new plastics. #FacilityFriday

15/ Whether you call it advanced recycling or chemical recycling, the result is always the same. The plastic isn’t recycled, it is burned along with thousand of pounds of hazardous waste. This is a false solution, and one every state in New England must reject. #FacilityFriday