Chasing Arrows Symbol and Plastic Recycling Reality

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The chasing arrows symbol, commonly associated with recycling, does not necessarily indicate that a material can be recycled or is being recycled. In reality, the symbol does not ensure plastic recycling due to a lack of public policy supporting recycling efforts, technical challenges in sorting and recycling various types of plastic, and the limited number of times plastic can be reused. The symbol has been used as a deceptive tool to bypass the complexities of recycling by providing a false sense of reassurance about the sustainability of plastic products.

Paris Marx is joined by Dharna Noor to discuss widely-held misconceptions about the effectiveness of plastic recycling and how industry lobbies invented them to protect the market for plastic products.

Dharna Noor is the fossil fuels and climate reporter at The Guardian.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Transcripts are by Brigitte Pawliw-Fry.

Also mentioned in this episode:

On Friday, March 8, Paris will be speaking with Ed Ongweso Jr. and Brian Merchant about Dune: Part Two and its connection to the growing Luddite movement. Watch it on our YouTube channel at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm GMT.
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