News & Analysis
September 9, 2024
A majority of likely U.S. voters support their state taking legal action against the plastics and fossil fuel industries for deceiving the public about the viability of plastics recycling, according to a new poll from CCI and Data for Progress that was first reported by the Guardian.
The survey of 1,231 likely voters found that a vast majority of voters think the plastic and fossil fuel industries are responsible for plastic pollution, and most believe that the plastics and fossil fuel industries have a great deal of responsibility to address plastic waste. The results follow a recent report by CCI about how Big Oil and the plastic industry have deceived the public for decades about the recyclability of plastics. Survey respondents guessed that, on average, about 45% of plastics in the U.S. are recycled, but only about 5% of plastics that Americans discard actually gets recycled in any given year.
When voters were informed that the “chasing arrows” symbol doesn’t always indicate that a plastic product is recyclable, 85% agreed that using the symbol on an unrecyclable plastic product is deceptive, with 62% strongly agreeing. Ultimately, 70% of likely voters — including 54% of Republicans — would support their state taking legal action against the plastics and fossil fuel industries to hold them accountable for their role in producing plastic pollution and deceiving the public about plastics recycling.
“Regardless of your politics, no one is really OK with a corporation lying to consumers,” said Davis Allen, an investigative researcher at CCI and the lead author of The Fraud of Plastic Recycling. “The industry has told us that we can do our part by putting all of our plastics in the bin, but they shouldn’t be allowed to keep deceiving the public about where the vast majority of those plastics actually end up: in landfills, incinerated, or in the environment.”
This overwhelming support for holding the plastics industry accountable for its deception comes as the California Attorney General’s Office is investigating the fossil fuel and petrochemical industry’s role in the plastic pollution crisis and the Federal Trade Commission is considering tightening the rules around recyclability claims in marketing.
“As we’re watching to see what comes from California’s investigation, it’s clear that the public is very concerned about the plastic waste crisis and would support holding Big Oil and the plastics industry accountable for the fraud of plastic recycling,” said Alyssa Johl, CCI’s vice president of legal and general counsel. “Any attorney general or public official who is considering action on this issue should know that both the law and public opinion are on their side.”
