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Big Plastic

Investigations into the global recycling problem

A Plastic Bag’s 2,000-Mile Journey Shows the Messy Truth About Recycling

A Plastic Bag’s 2,000-Mile Journey Shows the Messy Truth About Recycling

Tesco, the U.K’s largest grocery, collects the most difficult plastics to recycle. We tracked its recyclables across Europe and uncovered a system that’s more about passing the buck than reducing waste.

December 30, 2022

December 30, 2022

The Climate Impact of Our Insatiable Plastic Addiction

In addition to the trash that piles up in cities and clogs oceans, the world’s plastic habit has another, invisible toll: climate-warming greenhouse gases.

The Climate Impact of Our Insatiable Plastic Addiction

December 27, 2022

December 27, 2022

Amazon Packages Burn in India, Last Stop in Broken Recycling System

Plastic wrappers and parcels that start off in Americans’ recycling bins end up at illegal dumpsites and industrial incinerators — and inside the lungs of people in Muzaffarnagar.

Big Plastic’s Paper Trail Leads to a Field in India

December 20, 2022

December 20, 2022

Inside Big Plastic’s Faltering $1.5 Billion Global Cleanup Effort

Almost four years since the Alliance to End Plastic Waste launched, its on-the-ground recycling is negligible compared to the new plastic produced by its core members, petrochemical companies.

Inside Big Plastic’s Faltering $1.5 Billion Global Cleanup Effort

November 11, 2022

November 11, 2022

Thailand Is Tired of the Noxious Fumes From Recycling Your Trash

The plastic industry says recycling is the solution to reducing waste. But in Thailand, where much of the world’s trash ends up, it’s created a new set of problems.

Thailand Is Tired of the Noxious Fumes From Recycling Your Trash

October 27, 2022

October 27, 2022

The Warehouses of Plastic Behind TerraCycle’s Recycling Dream

TerraCycle CEO and founder Tom Szaky promises to make use of plastic garbage that almost no one else wants. We tracked some of that plastic to see where it landed.

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August 19, 2022

August 19, 2022

West Africa Is Drowning in Plastic. Who Is Responsible?

An initiative backed by Coca-Cola, Unilever and Danone to recycle the plastic waste in Ghana is better at deflecting blame and avoiding regulation than actually recycling.

Ghana Plastic Bottle Recycling