Industry-backed bills would bar states from setting stricter recycling requirements

The short version

• Industry-backed congressional proposals would give federal legal support to misleading recycling claims, according to ProPublica reporting.[ProPublica]
• The legislation would bar states from imposing stricter requirements, and its promoters spend millions lobbying Congress each year.[ProPublica]
• Rachel Fullmer of the Natural Resources Defense Council says in an email that both bills are peak greenwashing.[ProPublica]
• The EPA estimated 8.7% of U.S. plastic waste was recycled in 2018, while the Department of Energy estimated a 5% rate in 2019.[ProPublica]

Key facts

• The industry is championing two proposals in Congress that would give misleading recycling claims federal legal support.[ProPublica]
• The legislation would forbid states from setting stricter requirements.[ProPublica]
• Oil, chemical and packaging companies promoting the legislation spend millions of dollars lobbying Congress each year.[ProPublica]
• Rachel Fullmer of the Natural Resources Defense Council said in an email that both bills are peak greenwashing.[ProPublica]
• According to ProPublica, the plastics industry spent decades convincing consumers that items stamped with the chasing arrows symbol would be recycled if placed in curbside bins.[ProPublica]
• The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 8.7% of U.S. plastic waste was recycled in 2018.[ProPublica]
• The Department of Energy estimated the national plastic recycling rate at 5% in 2019.[ProPublica]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• “Peak Greenwashing”: Two Bills in Congress Endorse Misleading Recycling ClaimsProPublica