171 trillion plastic particles floating in oceans as pollution reaches "unprecedented" levels, scientists warn
CBSDec 26, 2022
The Facts
According to a Greenpeace report published on Wednesday, recycling actually increases the toxicity of plastics and should not be considered a solution to the pollution crisis.
The report finds plastics often contain higher levels of toxic chemicals, including carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, among others, which can be transferred into the recycled product.
The Spin
Narrative A
The plastics industry will continue to put forward plastic recycling and recycled content as the best way to resolve the global plastic crisis, distracting attention from the need to reduce overall plastic production and shifting the burden of dealing with plastic waste onto the consumers. The only real solution to ending plastic pollution is to first cap and later end plastic production — the world needs the UN's plastics treaty.
Narrative B
No evidence suggests ingesting plastic particles poses a real public health risk. Instead of denying people access to clean drinking water, safe food supplies, medical and personal care products, disrupting global supply chains, or substituting plastics with materials with a much higher carbon footprint in critical applications, the global community must conduct more research to establish if plastics are a threat or if the benefits greatly outweigh the costs.
