Last month, members of Congress introduced a bill that reads as a gift to the plastics industry. It would exempt “advanced recycling” from air pollution laws and promote it as a solution to plastic pollution. This is dangerous.
“Advanced recycling” is not a solution. It is a deceptive way of saying “burning plastic trash.” It’s a practice that harms children, families, and communities. Our lawmakers must not be fooled into thinking this is the best path forward. The plastics industry does not need protection; our children do.
Tell Congress: Burning Plastic Is Not a Solution to the Plastics Crisis
We all want to solve the plastic pollution crisis. But this bill would give the plastics industry a free pass to pollute our air and water. We need strategies and legislation that actually help communities and reduce our dependence on plastics. This bill is not the answer.
“Advanced recycling” generally refers to technologies that claim to break down plastic into its chemical building blocks. In practice, this is an incineration process that burns plastic and turns it into air pollution, contaminated oil, and toxic ash. And despite industry claims, this is not a new technology. These incinerators have been around for decades.
Burning plastics moves the waste problem from the landfill to the air we breathe—and directly into our lungs. Among the pollutants released are heavy metals and highly toxic volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and formaldehyde. This toxic air pollution is linked to cancer, birth defects, and other serious health harms. Children are especially vulnerable.
We can’t let this bill pass. Burning plastic and polluting our communities isn’t the answer. Join Moms in telling Congress to protect our families from “advanced recycling.”
Learn more about Moms’ work on “advanced recycling.”
Tell Congress: Burning Plastic Is Not a Solution to the Plastics Crisis