Plastic Wars (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

Summary by Krater

Frontline investigates the history of plastic waste and recycling, examining how major plastic producers promoted recycling symbols and marketing campaigns while knowing recycling was economically unviable.

From the video

Answers: How did the plastic industry mislead the public about recycling?

• plastic recycling crisis
• plastic industry history
• landfill management
• plastic waste export
• environmental activism

What it concludes

• Most plastic packaging cannot be economically recycled and ends up in landfills or the environment.
• Major plastic producers promoted recycling primarily as a way to sell more plastic and prevent bans.
• The chasing arrows recycling symbol was created by the plastic industry to give the false impression that mixed plastics were recyclable.
• For decades, the plastic industry knew that widespread recycling of mixed plastics was economically unviable.