Climate Change, Lawsuits, & Plastic Bottles
What is with the chasing arrows? Well, really nothing at this point. The chasing arrows used to mean that item was recyclable. About 50 years ago, it suddenly became standard to wrap the chasing arrows around ALL resin numbers on plastic containers. That didn’t mean they suddenly became recyclable – although a lot of us thought so. In fact, quite a few of us grew up thinking so….
Most of the chasing arrows have since converted to triangles, simply highlighting what type of plastic resin each container is made from. We, as consumers, still need to figure out which plastic containers get recycled and which get thrown away. That can be tricky. Gone are the days of recycling #1-7 resin types. In MN, the types of plastic resin most typically recycled are #1, #2, and #5. Within WLSSD’s area, that translates to bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs (and their plastic lids).
In September 2024, California’s new lawsuit against Exxon Mobil touches on that chasing arrow symbol, Exxon Mobil’s decades-old claim that ‘all plastics will be recyclable’, and the company’s current stance on the use of advanced, or chemical, recycling processes to recycle more plastics into new plastic products.
Read on at the following links for California Attorney General’s press release and a comprehensive news article from National Public Radio. This lawsuit and others like it will be fascinating to watch in the years to come:
- https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-sues-exxonmobil-deceiving-public-recyclability-plastic
- https://www.npr.org/2024/09/23/nx-s1-5123619/california-sues-exxonmobil-for-misleading-public-on-plastic-recycling
Back to our homes as we wonder about the plastic containers in hand and stare at the trash and recycling carts, the most important thing to remember is that the recycling industry is market driven. If there is not a market or an economically feasible process, some types of plastic will not be recycled. But for the ones that we can recycle, do that wholeheartedly – bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs (and their plastic lids).