The plastics crisis is often believed to be a waste management problem exacerbated by irresponsible consumers. This false perception is the result of a campaign of disinformation from the plastics industry. The real problem – excessive plastic production – has been deliberately obscured by corporate interests that make profit from plastic. Dark PR: How Corporate Disinformation Undermines Our Health and the Environment by Grant Ennis presents 9 recurring frames as a way to understand...

As plastic is part of our lives, using innovative solutions for waste management may be necessary. However, this can mislead the public into believing that plastic use is sustainable. When considering the consequences and complexities, these may not be sustainable solutions at all. Improved recycling collections - As plastic is part of our lives, it is obviously desirable to recycle as much of our waste as possible. Innovative collection methods may lead to higher rates of recycling, but...

Sustainable plastic solutions attempt to solve the plastic problem with innovation. Rather than reducing plastic production and use, ‘sustainable’ bioplastics have been developed, and better waste management processes have been proposed instead. Improved recycling collections have been suggested as a sustainable plastics solution. The more plastic that is appropriately collected, the more plastic gets recycled. However, a more complex system of collection may confuse or demotivate the public,...