According to a Greenpeace USA analysis published on Monday, industry claims of developing an effective, circular economy are "fiction" and that plastic recycling rates are in fact falling even as production rises.
The study, titled "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," discovered that only 2.4 million tons, or about five percent, of the 51 million tons of plastic garbage produced by US households in 2021 were recycled.
In 2014 at 10 percent, the trend has been decreasing, especially when China stopped accepting waste in 2018.Production of non-recycled plastic, is rapidly rising as the petrochemical industry expands, lowering costs.
"Industry groups and big corporations have been pushing for recycling as a solution," Greenpeace USA campaigner Lisa Ramsden told AFP.
"By doing that, they have shirked all responsibility" for ensuring that recycling actually works, she added. She named Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle as prime offenders.
Greenpeace USA's survey showed, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation's 375 material recovery facilities.
‘New plastic directly competes with recycled plastic, and it's far cheaper to produce and of higher quality,’ the report said.
Some countries including India, which recently banned 19 single-use plastic items. Austria has set reuse targets of 25 percent by 2025, while Portugal has also set the 30 percent by 2030 goal.
Chile is moving to phase out single-use cutlery and bottles.
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