Recycling plastic has been an uphill challenge. Could chemical recycling change that?
Summary
Plastic pollution is a global threat to our lands and seas. Since World War II, we have created over 9 billion cubic tons of it, yet its recycling remains extremely limited. As part of our "Breakthroughs" series, Miles O'Brien looks at new ideas and innovations, such as chemical recycling and urban mining, that may enable better recycling in the future.
Five Facts
How
much does the EPA estimate is actually recycled of all the plastic we produce?
Why
does so much of our recycling go to landfills?
Who
is George Huber?
What
is the problem he is trying to solve?
Where
is plastic processed in the pyrolysis process described?
When
did China stop accepting and recycling our plastic?
Focus Questions
This piece illuminates the problems with recycling currently in America. If there are so many issues with recycling, why do you think people continue to use the system we have today?
Did this report make you rethink your own family's approach to recycling? If so, in what ways? What are some steps you can take to use plastic resources more sustainably?
Media literacy:
Who is the target audience for this piece? Is it produced in any sort of way that would prevent it from reaching a certain audience?
For More
To learn more about plastics, microplastics, and the plastic problem in the US, check out
this article
about the US Recycling industry and
this page
on microplastics.
