"Plastic Recycling Is a Scam" California Sues ExxonMobil

The state of California in the United States has filed a lawsuit against the oil giant ExxonMobil. The reason is that ExxonMobil has deceived the public for decades by falsely claiming that plastic product recycling could solve the pollution crisis.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others on the 23rd (local time), Rob Bonta, California's Attorney General, alleged in the complaint that ExxonMobil violated California laws prohibiting water pollution, false advertising, and unfair competition. California has been investigating ExxonMobil's plastic pollution for about two years. The state government is currently seeking civil penalties.

Attorney General Bonta stated, "ExxonMobil has deceived the public for decades by claiming that plastic recycling could solve pollution and environmental problems," adding, "They clearly knew this was impossible. Yet, to continue astronomical profits, they lied at the expense of our planet and health."

It has been pointed out that despite knowing since the 1970s that plastic waste problems could not be solved through recycling, ExxonMobil ran campaigns emphasizing recycling to deceive the public. ExxonMobil has long claimed that most plastic waste processed with advanced technology can be recycled into raw materials for new plastics. However, California pointed out that the actual recycling rate is only 8%. According to a report released by the Department of Energy in 2022, only 5% of plastic waste in the United States is recycled.

On the other hand, ExxonMobil rebutted by accusing California officials of shifting responsibility to others. Lauren Knight, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil, criticized, "Instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to solve the problem and prevent plastics from going to landfills." He also claimed that ExxonMobil processed over 60,000 pounds of plastic waste into raw materials through recycling.

WSJ reported that ExxonMobil and other oil companies face dozens of lawsuits nationwide, involving billions of dollars in environmental damage compensation and allegations of deceiving the public about the impacts of climate change. Previously, ExxonMobil won one related lawsuit in 2019.

According to the Australian charity organization Munderu Foundation, ExxonMobil produced approximately 11.5 million tons of single-use plastics as of 2021, the largest amount worldwide.