FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 27 APRIL, 2022
New York, NY, USA–The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, #breakfreefromplastic, and Beyond Plastics have denounced the American Chemistry Council’s statement regarding New York State voters’ supposed support for chemical “recycling,” as state lawmakers consider bills SB 7891 and AB 9495, which would pave the way for the industry to build these largely plastic incineration plants.
“Of course voters want to believe that we can wave a magic wand and plastic garbage can miraculously be made back into new plastic,” says Dr. Neil Tangri, Science and Policy Director at Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). “I also wish the Easter Bunny were real, or that I could own a time machine. The fact of the matter is, what the ACC calls ‘cutting edge’ technology has actually been around for 30 years, and it’s been a failure, both technologically and economically. The vast majority of these projects turn plastic (which is made from oil and gas) back into a fossil fuel that’s then burned, releasing harmful emissions that threaten our climate and public health. The petrochemical industry is simply distracting lawmakers and the public with technological fantasies while they continue to churn out more single-use plastic. Instead of daydreaming solutions, it’s time to scale back plastic production.”
Graham Hamilton, US Policy Officer at #breakfreefromplastic, states: “New Yorkers are smart and if the ACC was being honest about the nature and viability of so-called advanced recycling their polling wouldn’t look so good.They are taking New Yorkers’ desire for solutions and turning it into something they can build and sell, regardless of how technologically bunk or economically infeasible it is. This survey is yet another deceptive distraction from true solutions like source reduction, product redesign, and reuse and refill infrastructure.”
“The American Chemistry Council poll of New York voters is useless. They may as well have asked if New Yorkers like adorable puppies and fresh-baked apple pie. The poll question should have read: Do you support plastics being sent to waste-to-fuel, pyrolysis, or gasification facilities? And an even more useful question: do you want to live near one of these facilities?” said Judith Enck, President of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Regional Administrator.
Contact
Claire Arkin, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), claire@no-burn.org
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