IN-DEPTH: Plastic Not as Recycable as Consumers Were Led to Believe, Experts Say

Consumers have been misled about the recyclability of plastic, according to those who argue that industry labeling has caused the public to place too much trust in what is not an easy solution for reducing waste. David Allaway is a senior policy analyst with the Oregon state’s Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). He explained to The Epoch Times that the narrative surrounding plastic recycling was largely a public relations tactic to garner approval at a time in the late 1980s when it was becoming more frowned upon because of the mounting waste generated by its use. In 1989, when the Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance that banned most plastic packaging in grocery stores and fast food restaurants, other local governments in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Long Island, New York, were passing similar city regulations....