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Yves here. If Avery’s beloved, now retired NC writer, Jerri-Lynn, was still posting here, she would definitely be blasting the plan below. One of her areas of expertise was the fight against plastics. She spent a lot of time in what Americans would despise as a low-income country. One good thing about it was that she found that the use of plastics, especially in packaging, was much less than in the US or Europe.
But the new movement is misleading consumers into thinking that plastics that are not economically affordable to recycle are technically recyclable and OK to put in their recycling bins, and that their use is harmless. Let’s not forget that there is already a widespread problem with consumers not properly separating their waste, and there is also a widespread problem with buildings throwing what they put in their recycling bins into the general trash. This happened in the NYC apartment I lived in, and is apparently happening in the building I live in now.
Article by Lisa Song, who reports on environment, energy and climate change for ProPublica. ProPublica; Crosspost Undark
Most products found in a typical kitchen are made from plastic, which is virtually impossible to recycle.
The film that serves as the lid for Dole Sunshine fruit bowls, the rings that secure McCormick dried herb jars, the straws on Juicy Juice boxes, the bags that hold Cheez-Its and Cheerios in place — they’re all destined for the trash.
Now, an industry group representing these brands and hundreds more is pressuring regulators to make plastics look more environmentally friendly, a proposal experts say could worsen the crisis that’s flooding the planet and our bodies with toxic substances.
The Consumer Brands Association believes companies should be able to label products that are technically recyclable as “recyclable,” even if they’re almost certain to end up in a landfill. As ProPublica previously reported, the association said: They advocated for loosening the definition of “recyclable.” The comments were submitted in writing to the Federal Trade Commission as the commission revise its Green Guides, advertising guidelines for products with sustainable attributes.
The Association’s board of directors includes executives from some of the world’s wealthiest companies, including PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Land O’Lakes, Keurig Dr Pepper, Hormel Foods Corporation, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Campbell Soup Company, Keranova, Mondelez International, Conagra Brands, J.M. Smucker and Clorox.
Several companies own brands that tout health, wellness and sustainability, including General Mills, which sells Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese; The Honest Company, which sells soaps and baby wipes that line Whole Foods shelves; and Colgate-Palmolive, which owns Tom’s of Maine natural deodorant.
ProPublica contacted 51 companies that serve on the association’s board of directors to ask whether they agreed with the trade group’s definition of “recyclable.” Most of the companies did not respond; none opposed the definition. Nine companies referred ProPublica to the association.
“America’s household brand manufacturers are committed to creating a more circular economy, which is why the industry is setting sustainability goals and investing in consumer education tools with detailed recycling instructions,” Joseph Aquilina, the association’s vice president and deputy general counsel, said in an email.
The Green Guides are intended to increase consumer confidence in sustainable products. These guidelines are not law, but they serve as a national reference for businesses and other government agencies on how to define terms like “compostable,” “non-toxic” and “recyclable.” The Federal Trade Commission is revising the guides for the first time since 2012.
Most of the plastic we come across cannot be functionally recycled. Addressing the health risks posed by the dyes and flame retardants in many products is either too expensive or technically challenging. Collecting, sorting, storing, transporting and reprocessing plastic is far more costly than dumping it in a landfill. New Technologies These plastic recycling technologies have pushed the boundaries of what is possible. Inefficient and limited in quantity Experts say those figures are unreliable. In reality, only 5 percent of the plastic Americans throw away is recycled. Soda bottles and milk cartons are turned into new products, but other common plastics, like flimsy candy wrappers and potato chip bags, end up in trash piles and oceans, where they’re destined to remain for centuries, unable to decompose.
Under the current Green Guide, companies can label products or packaging as “recyclable” if more than 60% of Americans have access to a facility that will recover that material. The guidelines don’t specify whether it’s enough for a facility to simply collect and sort the items, or whether there must be a reasonable expectation that the materials will be remade into something new.
“The Green Guide has long defined that if it’s labeled ‘recyclable,’ it is recyclable,” Aquilina, the association’s vice president, told ProPublica. “Any suggestion that Consumer Brands is pushing for a ‘looser definition’ is false.”
But the association appears to ignore what the FTC said in a separate document released alongside the guide. The true recyclable claim is It means that “the vast majority of consumers or communities have access to facilities that will actually recycle products, rather than accepting them and ultimately disposing of them.”
in Comments to the FTCBut the association pushed back against that idea: The U.S. recycling system is decentralized, and manufacturers have no control over the economic factors that might cause recyclers to change their mind about handling certain types of plastic, it said, adding that it’s unrealistic to ask brands to predict which products will “end up in the recycling” market.
The association represents retailers and would naturally seek to be more flexible in its position, Jeff Richards, a professor of advertising and public relations at Michigan State University, said in an email. “The problem with defining ‘recyclable’ as anything that could potentially be recycled is that we can’t possibly trust that consumers are defining it that way.”
When consumers’ expectations don’t match what advertisers are saying, “consumers are being duped,” he added.
This deception has concrete consequences: Plastic bags that end up in recycling centers by mistake can clog machines, cause fires, and contaminate paper reams, making them unrecyclable. The problem could get even worse if the FTC listens to the Consumer Brands Association and allows companies to market plastic bags as “recyclable.”
Annie’s Macaroni & Cheese is one of the brands under the association, and has a reputation for being healthy and sustainable. Unlike most pasta companies, Annie’s doesn’t use plastic film to create windows on its pasta boxes. The brand also sells cheese crackers packaged in plastic that is clearly marked as non-recyclable, with a triangular “tracking arrow” symbol with a diagonal line through it. However, parent company General Mills promotes a store-bought recycling program for Nature Valley, one of its granola bar brands. Bloomberg News investigation Those programs have been found to have a mixed record, with much of the plastic ending up in landfills. The CEO of General Mills sits on the association’s executive committee. Earlier this year, investment firm Green Century filed a shareholder resolution to end the practice. Urged General Mills to investigate ways to reduce use of plastic packagingThe resolution also recommended that the company evaluate the effectiveness of its drop-off recycling program.
Honest has similarly built a reputation for being a sustainable company by eliminating two particularly problematic types of plastic in its packaging, and its website provides instructions on how to dispose of plastic packaging. Product pages are consumer The instructions say to disassemble and clean the containers and “check with your local government to see if they can be recycled.” Tom’s of Maine also has a similar message:The first recyclable toothpaste tubeThe tube features the familiar tracking arrow recycling symbol and the words, “When empty, cap and recycle,” and in smaller letters on the end of the tube, it says, “Tubes may not yet be accepted for recycling in your area. Check with your local area.”
But regulators warn that the “check on site” warning is vague. He told the FTC last year The warnings are “of little value in assessing recyclability” and companies should provide clearer instructions to reduce “wishcycling,” which is throwing items into curbside bins in the faint hope that they will be recycled. A group of state attorneys general said More offensive words: “Not regularly recycled. Check with your local authorities.”
“We’re proud to have played a leading role in changing the tube packaging,” Rob Robinson, Tom’s marketing director, said in an email, noting that the “check locally” warning appears on toothpaste tubes, boxes and on the company’s website.
Not all sorting centers have the proper equipment or staff training to recycle these tubes, said Miriam Holsinger, co-president of Minnesota-based Eureka Recycling Inc. “Until all toothpaste tubes are recyclable, it’s not going to be a no-brainer.”
General Mills, The Honest Company and Colgate-Palmolive did not respond to requests for comment.
