{"id":23987,"date":"2024-12-11T17:31:51","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T17:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/?p=23987"},"modified":"2025-12-15T01:09:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T01:09:06","slug":"global-plastics-treaty-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/global-plastics-treaty-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"When Is Recycling Not the Answer?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><em>Read on to learn how Eco-Cycle\u2019s work and mission are helping inform a global plastics treaty!<\/em><\/em><br><span id=\"docs-internal-guid-d6f9fbb9-7fff-7ad3-5194-5bb5060e3734\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/December-2024-blog-headers.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23988 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/December-2024-blog-headers.png 1000w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/December-2024-blog-headers-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/December-2024-blog-headers-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/December-2024-blog-headers-200x100.png 200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1000px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1000\/500;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/about-us\/ambr-recyclers\/\">Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR)<\/a>, cofounded by Eco-Cycle, sent a delegation to the fifth round of negotiations for the global plastics treaty in Busan, South Korea.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AMBR representatives pushed back against recycling being positioned as the solution to the plastics crisis, advocating for global limits on plastics production and against false solutions like chemical recycling (also referred to as \u201cadvanced recycling\u201d).<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The negotiations did not result in a final treaty as planned, and another round of negotiations will be held in 2025.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The plastics crisis affects all people, communities, and ecosystems globally and must be addressed through international actions, like the treaty, and local efforts, like Eco-Cycle\u2019s work to reduce single-use plastics in Colorado.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of November, more than 3,300 delegates, including representatives from more than 170 nations and observers from upwards of 440 organizations, gathered in Busan, Republic of Korea, for the fifth round of negotiations to develop a global plastics treaty to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/about-us\/ambr-recyclers\/\">Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR)<\/a>, an organization cofounded by Eco-Cycle, participated in the negotiations. AMBR brings together some of the nation\u2019s first mission-driven recycling organizations, including Eco-Cycle, to advance a shared vision worldwide. Together, we advocate for keeping natural resources in the ground, eliminating waste and pollution, and ensuring all products are reused, refilled, recycled, or composted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recycling Is Not the Answer to the Global Plastics Crisis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At the negotiations, AMBR colleagues met with US legislative leaders, fellow advocates within the global <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breakfreefromplastic.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Break Free From Plastic<\/a> movement, and representatives of the petrochemical and packaging industries.<br><br><strong>Our message: Recycling is NOT the solution to the global plastics crisis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Boulder County\u2019s recycling operator since 1976, it may seem ironic that Eco-Cycle is advocating against recycling as the solution. However, decades of experience building Zero Waste communities illustrate both the opportunities and limitations of recycling in tackling the plastics crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While recycling is essential to a Zero Waste, circular economy, it cannot solve the plastics crisis alone. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adj8275\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The massive volume of plastic produced<\/a>, its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/climate-solutions\/2024\/12\/01\/single-use-plastics-reuse-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">toxic composition<\/a>, and the lack of demand for recycled materials from the plastics industry make it impossible to recycle our way out of the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>False solutions such as chemical or \u201cadvanced\u201d recycling also exacerbate the problem. These carbon-intensive technologies worsen climate change and fail to address the root causes of the plastics crisis. Eco-Cycle has consistently and vigorously opposed chemical recycling, from local advocacy in Colorado to AMBR\u2019s work on the global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why a Global Plastics Treaty Matters to Coloradans<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While these negotiations happened on the other side of the globe, and ocean plastics are identified as a top concern, the outcomes could benefit communities everywhere, even in landlocked Colorado, by reducing single-use plastics, toxic chemicals, pollution, and plastic waste exported overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>If successful, the treaty could lead to:&nbsp;<\/strong><br><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Limiting Plastic Production<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A global treaty could lead to less unnecessary plastic packaging in our stores and restaurants. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgetobusan.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bridge to Busan declaration<\/a>, signed by 85 countries ahead of the negotiations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgetobusan.com\/sufa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calls for clear limits on plastics production<\/a>. Eco-Cycle and AMBR support these provisions and advocate for strict limits on plastic production.<br><br>Studies demonstrate that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adj8275\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plastics production equals plastic pollution<\/a>. There can be no successful solution to plastic pollution without first limiting the outpour of plastics being produced.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"700\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Ban-Single-Use-Plastics.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23996 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 550px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 550\/700;width:292px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Ban-Single-Use-Plastics.jpg 550w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Ban-Single-Use-Plastics-236x300.jpg 236w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Ban-Single-Use-Plastics-98x125.jpg 98w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Phasing Out Toxic Plastics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plastic packaging could become safer. Many countries are also demanding the phase-out of the most harmful plastic products and chemicals used to produce plastics. Locally, Eco-Cycle and the <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/services-and-facilities\/bcrc\/\">Boulder County Recycling Center<\/a> stopped accepting some of the most toxic and non-recyclable plastics like #3 PVC, #6 PS, and #7 PC. These materials are harmful, rarely recyclable, and have little to no market value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eco-Cycle has also helped implement Colorado policies <a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/our-programs\/zero-waste-colorado\/plastic-pollution-reduction-act-overview\/\">banning #6 polystyrene food and beverage containers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.colorado.gov\/hm\/epr-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">incentivizing recyclable packaging<\/a>. AMBR partners in California and Minnesota are introducing similar measures, showing the nationwide potential of these efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even the <a href=\"https:\/\/ambr-recyclers.org\/2022\/01\/some-plastics-are-so-bad-even-industry-says-we-should-stop-making-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">packaging industry agrees<\/a> that some plastics and additives are so bad they should be eliminated!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Return to Reuse<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember when coffee shops served \u201cfor here\u201d orders in ceramic mugs, or when milk came in glass bottles? A successful treaty could bring back reusable systems. AMBR is advocating for treaty provisions supporting reuse models, such as producer-return systems or refillable containers. We\u2019re already seeing these systems piloted (again) in the United States, including by our fellow AMBR founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recycleannarbor.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Recycle Ann Arbor<\/a>, which is testing the viability of reusable packaging with recovery supported by their recycling facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reducing US Plastic Waste Overseas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The US produces and wastes more plastic than any other nation by far.<\/strong> We lead the world in plastics production, making about <a href=\"https:\/\/e360.yale.edu\/digest\/u-s-is-a-larger-source-of-plastic-pollution-than-previously-thought-report-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">286 pounds of plastics per person in one year<\/a>. And that amount is predicted to increase. Some new rules have prevented the global plastic waste trade. In 2018, China passed the National Sword policy, banning the import of most plastics, stating they no longer wanted to be the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/03\/12\/climate\/plastics-waste-export-ban.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">world\u2019s garbage dump.<\/a>\u201d Furthermore, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basel.int\/theconvention\/overview\/tabid\/1271\/default.aspx#:~:text=Close-,The%20Basel%20Convention%20at%20a%20glance...,of%20hazardous%20and%20other%20wastes.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Basel Convention<\/a> developed in 2019 placed strict limits on plastic waste from rich countries being exported to poor countries (though of the 180 nations that signed the agreement, the US was not among them).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These global policy changes have had an impact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org\/blog\/2019\/3\/6\/157000-shipping-containers-of-us-plastic-waste-exported-to-countries-with-poor-waste-management-in-2018#:~:text=U.S.%20plastic%20waste%20exports%20have,recycled%20into%20new%20plastic%20products.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">US exports of plastic waste to poorer countries have been declining<\/a>. But far too much of our plastic waste is still ending up overseas. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ban.org\/plastic-waste-project-hub\/trade-data\/usa-export-data-annual-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The US still sends more than 220,000,000 lb (or 100,000,000 kilograms) of plastic waste overseas each year<\/a>, disproportionately affecting countries lacking the infrastructure to manage it effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"500\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Plastics-exports-to-Asia-and-India57-1024x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23994 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Plastics-exports-to-Asia-and-India57-1024x500.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Plastics-exports-to-Asia-and-India57-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Plastics-exports-to-Asia-and-India57-768x375.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Plastics-exports-to-Asia-and-India57-200x98.jpg 200w, https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Plastics-exports-to-Asia-and-India57.jpg 1241w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/500;\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A global treaty could build on these policies and their reach by further limiting waste exports and providing financial support to recipient nations to manage plastic waste sustainably. <strong>Simplifying the global plastics trade would reduce environmental and human harm worldwide.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ecocycle.salsalabs.org\/campaignalerts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sign up here<\/a> to receive alerts on how you can support a global plastics treaty and help reduce plastics in Colorado!<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read on to learn how Eco-Cycle\u2019s work and mission are helping inform a global plastics treaty! Key Takeaways: At the end of November, more than 3,300 delegates, including representatives from more than 170 nations and observers from upwards of 440 organizations, gathered in Busan, Republic of Korea, for the fifth round of negotiations to develop [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":23988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,296,253],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-homepage","category-national-and-global-news","category-news-policy-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When Is Recycling Not the Answer? 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