The Fraud of Plastic Recycling

[darkoshi]

The Fraud of Plastic Recycling

Through new and existing research, “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling” shows how Big Oil and the plastics industry have deceptively promoted recycling as a solution to plastic waste management for more than 50 years, despite their long-standing knowledge that plastic recycling is not technically or economically viable at scale.

It is a long report, but the most pertinent parts are in the first sections.

Comments

[frith]

Yep, recyclable plastic, a great way to whitewash a petroleum product and get people to think that plastic overuse is OK and normal. It's the little non-solution that perpetuates the product (fossil fuel extraction). The tobacco industry is the role model for this type of manipulation of perception. Filter cigarettes, "light" cigarettes, scented/flavored cigarettes, doctor recommended cigarettes, sport event sponsorship, nicotine patches/gum, vaping, flu vaccine development...

[darkoshi]

doctor recommended cigarettes? I hadn't heard of that.

flu vaccine development? I hadn't heard of that either but now found this which you must be referring to:
https://www.sciencealert.com/large-scale-studies-test-flu-vaccine-derived-from-tobacco-plants-for-the-first-time
Well, I'd rather have tobacco being grown for making vaccines, than for cigarettes. But my gut tells me that plants don't replicate fast enough to be a good choice for a vaccine that needs to change each year.

The study referenced by the above article:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32014-6/abstract
mentions funding by "Medicago"...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicago_Inc.#Withdrawal_and_corporate_termination
In March 2022, the first Canadian-made COVID-19 vaccine produced by Medicago was rejected by the World Health Organization due to the tobacco company Philip Morris International owning a stake in the company.

Interesting.

[frith]

Do an image search for doctors recommend cigarettes advertisement and you'll get results like this. The Flintstones also recommended some brand or other of cigarettes.

Beware of whitewashing, it's everywhere. ^_^ Like carbon capture, carbon credits, "blue" hydrogen power, biogas, even biodiesel, anything that perpetuates the production of or a parallel use of the source material (in this instance, fossil fuels or tobacco), is highly suspect.

Yep, you found all the info that I'd heard on the radio about the rise and fall of a tobacco plant based COVID vaccine. ^_^

[lhexan]

I didn't make it far in the report, owing to the despair it invoked. There is this side benefit to the corporate marketing: it also raises support for other, more viable forms of recycling, namely paper and metal.