Plastic Recycling Won't Fix Environmental Injustice

I’m bothered by the lopsided emphasis on plastic recycling over the environmental injustices caused by plastic production and disposal. 

 

Have you heard about the sacrifice zones in Louisiana, Texas and Pennsylvania? Then-Sierra Club director of Strategic Partnerships Hop Hopkins simply summed it up, "When we pollute the hell out of a place, that’s a way of saying that the place—and the people and all the other life that calls that place home—are of no value.”

 

California Assembly Natural Resources Committee’s bill analysis of AB 2648 State Plastic Beverage Bottle Procurement Reduction reminded us of the tragic realities reported by the Environmental Integrity Project. Over 66% of residents within three miles of plastic manufacturing facilities are people of color, over-exposed to air pollution, and enduring underfunded public services. Despite receiving billions in subsidies, these facilities repeatedly violate environmental regulations. For instance, Indorama's Louisiana facility received a subsidy estimated to be worth more than $70 million over 10 years. Yet, after multiple violations of its permitted air pollution control limits, the state revised the facility’s pollution control permit to allow higher levels of emissions.  

 

Imagine life near these facilities. Sharon Lavigne of Rise St. James testified before the U.S. Senate: “[The other side] lies sugarcane fields surrounded by petrochemical plants and refineries. It is making us sick. We cannot drink the water, plant a garden, or breathe clean air. The place I remember being so beautiful and full of life is now called Cancer Alley, which runs from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. We call it Death Alley due to the high number of community members getting sick and dying from cancer.”

 

In 2022, ExxonMobil announced doubling polypropylene production in Baton Rouge. And, ExxonMobil was the #1 contributor to single-use plastic waste generation according to the Minderoo Foundation.

 

Meanwhile, industry lobbying fiercely opposes plastics bans nationwide. Last November, despite overwhelming community support, Irvine city council rejected a proposed plastics ban because of an opposition campaign led by American Beverage Association, that claimed, “We are carefully designing our plastic bottles to be 100% recyclable – including the cap.” 

 

Raj Thairani of Gutride Safier LLP, an attorney who has brought multiple class actions on behalf of the public against major corporations for “greenwashing,” said false and misleading recycling claims are widespread because consumers are willing to pay more for products that they believe are "green."  

 

AB 2648 shows Californians use over 12 billion plastic beverage bottles annually, approximately 70% of them end up in recycle bins, but it’s unknown how many of these bottles are recycled. 

 

But we know no amount of plastic recycling can save those dying from cancer due to pollution from nearby plastic manufacturing facilities.

 

Earth Day themed "Planet vs. Plastics" calls for change. It’s time for collective action towards environmental justice.