In 2016, about half the plastic waste collected in the U.S. was shipped internationally, but somewhere between 25% and 75% of it was inadequately managed, a Science Advances study found.

Site manager Levar Davis points at bales of sorted plastic for recycling in a warehouse at Sierra Processing on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Albany, N.Y.

For decades, plastic producers knowingly misled the public about the feasibility of plastic recycling, according to a recent study by the Center for Climate Integrity. The non-profit’s report ...

Plastic pellets created by chemical recycling at ExxonMobil's plant in Baytown, Texas, in 2023. The industry is pitching the technology as an answer to the plastics pollution crisis.

In a recent public hearing on “plastics use and reducing plastic waste,” I delivered a message on behalf of our industry that may have surprised the other witnesses.

So, a plastic bottle can only be recycled two or three times before it becomes unrecyclable. However, the new approach promises to recycle plastic in a way that retains its original value.

Plastic pellets created by chemical recycling at ExxonMobil's plant in Baytown, Texas, in 2023. The industry is pitching the technology as an answer to the plastics pollution crisis.