Just Zero has released a new report: Loopholes, Injustice, and the ‘Advanced Recycling’ Myth. The report exposes misinformation spread by the fossil fuel industry about advanced recycling, chemical recycling, and other toxic and climate-damaging technologies that melt, boil, and burn plastic waste. Just Zero’s report focuses on the American Chemistry Council’s extensive lobbying efforts to create state law loopholes that help these facilities evade public oversight and environmental protections, and provide financial support for advanced recycling.

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Uprise RI has given this issue extensive coverage as local communities resisted an effort to build a medical waste “recycling” operation on the East Greenwich/West Warwick line and last year, when the Rhode Island Senate passed legislation allowing the deregulated building of so-called “advanced recycling” facilities throughout the state. That bill failed to pass out of the House. See:

• Senate approves scientifically unsound and environmentally dangerous plastics burning bill
• The bad idea that never dies: Pyrolysis is back at the Rhode Island State House
• Sponsors of bill to ban high-heat waste incineration facilities hit back against MedRecycler’s lobbyists
• RI House weighs outlawing pyrolysis and high heat waste processing
• All the video from the DEM hearing on proposed pyrolysis medical waste to energy facility
• Local groups lead charge against medical waste to energy facilities in Rhode Island
• RI leaders are falling for the perpetual motion machine scam
• Representative Serpa opposes medical waste to fuel pyrolysis facility
• Senator Valverde and Rep Caldwell oppose medical waste burning proposal on East Greenwich line
• Is turning waste plastic into fuel the answer to our waste management and energy woes?

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“The fossil fuel industry sees plastics production as its lifeline, and it needs to convince people that advanced recycling can solve our plastic pollution problem,” said Kevin Budris, Senior Counsel and Program Director at Just Zero. “But advanced recycling facilities are expensive, toxic, and don’t work. So, the industry is pushing for legal loopholes that make it cheaper and easier to build these facilities, while silencing communities and hiding the truth behind the advanced recycling myth.”

These loopholes come in two categories. First are laws that define advanced recycling as “manufacturing,” which allows these facilities to skirt rules that apply to solid waste and recycling facilities, including public permitting processes, siting restrictions, public input, and reporting requirements. The second category are laws that allow burning plastic waste at advanced recyclingfacilities to count as “recycling.” These laws compete with efforts to reduce plastic packaging and funnel money to struggling advanced recycling facilities.

“Worst of all,” said Budris, “these loopholes perpetuate injustice and environmental racism. 76% of advanced recycling facilities are located in historically marginalized environmental justice communities, including communities of color and low-income communities. The legal loopholes pushed by the American Chemistry Council disempower, and even target, these communities.”

The fossil fuel industry’s push for loopholes won’t change the fact that advanced recycling facilities don’t recycle – they melt, boil, and burn plastic. But that’s not the point. The industry succeeds if it convinces lawmakers and the public that advanced recyclingcan make plastics “sustainable.” 

“The fossil fuel industry profits off the plastics that choke our environment and damage our climate, and it’s using the myth of advanced recycling to keep us hooked on those plastics,” said Kirstie Pecci, Executive Director at Just Zero. “Just Zero was formed to take on the dangerous industries that created our waste crisis, and we’re doing just that through this report.”

The author of the report, Kevin Budris, testified before the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee several times in opposition to advanced recycling:

“Loopholes, Injustice, & the ‘Advanced Recycling’ Myth” is available for download here.

Just Zero works with communities and policy makers to turn Zero Waste strategies into action; visionary concepts into results. Real impact demands new, inventive approaches that put human health and ecosystem health over polluter profits.