Kansas county sues plastic companies over recycling, alleging ‘fraud and deception’
Ford County claims in a lawsuit that plastic manufacturers knew recycling wasn’t viable but misled the public BY: ALLISON KITE - DECEMBER 12, 2024 1:17 PM (Kansas Reporter) https://kansasreflector.com/2024/12/12/kansas-county-sues-plastic-companies-over-recycling-alleging-fraud-and-deception/
Crumb rubber is used as infill in 85% of the more than 13,000 artificial turf fields across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified more than 350 chemicals in crumb rubber including:
• Arsenic (known human carcinogen), Benzene (known human carcinogen), Cadmium (known human carcinogen), Chromium (known human carcinogen), Crystalline silica (known human toxicant), Lead (neurotoxicant), Phthalates (reproductive toxicants), Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (suspected carcinogen), Styrene (suspected human carcinogen), VOCs and SVOCS (respiratory irritants, neurotoxicants, and known human carcinogens), Zinc (neurotoxicant)
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCo
COMPLAINT FOR ABATEMENT, EQUITABLE RELIEF, AND CIVIL PENALTIES; PRELIMINARY AND PERMANENT INJUNCTION ~ JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ex rel. ROB BONTA, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CALIFORNIA,
Plaintiff, v. EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION; AND DOES 1 THROUGH 100, INCLUSIVE,
PUBLIC NUISANCE; GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 12607;
WATER POLLUTION; UNTRUE OR MISLEADING ADVERTISING; MISLEADING ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETING; AND UNLAWFUL, UNFAIR, OR FRAUDULENT BUSINESS PRACTICES.
September 11, 2024 Select Board Citizen Input on Waste Plastic Incinerator Proposed for 24 Holman Street.
(15 Minute Clip)
•Presenting Petition and Signatures so far (600+) to town Administrator & reading petition into the record.
•Valuable, must see, residents speak out over the prospect of being poisoned: no-one wants that AGAIN!
•Questions on town’s delay foreclosing are deflected. Answers are claimed to be “privileged” and not up for public discussion; even though this involves roughly $600,000.00 in taxpayer money.
Excellent Overview of plastic incineration!
On June 7, 2024, Moms Clean Air Force hosted a webinar about chemical recycling and how it affects communities in West Virginia. Panelists discussed what chemical recycling is, what chemical recycling facilities have been proposed for West Virginia, and how communities can take action to protect children and families chemical recycling pollution.
Speakers:
Lucia Valentine, West Virginia Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Rachel Meyer, Pennsylvania Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Andrew Earley, West Virginia Staff Attorney, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services
Sandy Field, Save Our Susquehanna
Also see:
The fire coming out of stacks on the plastics plant is called flaring and releases toxic particles. Plastic incinerators such as pyrolysis plants use flaring. Plastic incineration plants are experimental - there is no evidence that they work as intended and plenty of evidence that they emit toxins into the environment, are prone to fire and explosion, and tend to close soon after starting or during construction. Templeton does not need an abandoned waste plastic incinerator any more than one spewing out contamination night and day. Also notice the railroad tracks and the fact that micro plastics are spread around just by handling and transporting beside being dumped. Finally, notice that micro plastics pollute the water, the fish, and other living things. Micro plastics should not be allowed to migrate into the Otter River to contaminate our drinking water, living things such as the Salmon that live downstream in the Connecticut River and everything between here and Long Island Sound.
Here is a 7 minute Video clip from May 15, 2024 town meeting when a zoning change called Article 8 was voted down because it would have made Waste Plastic Incineration into a new use by right of the CIA zones in town!!! This is Toxicologist Ivan Ussach, of the Millers River Watershed Council, speaking. Please share this on social media!!! It is still very relevant and worth rewatching.
Brownfields cleanup benefits.
https://www.eli.org/brownfields-program/brownfields-basics
https://ecori.org/bill-to-ban-advanced-plastic-recycling-makes-another-appearance/
E pluribus unum "Out of many, one"
Beyond Plastics Praises California Attorney General for ‘Single Most Consequential Lawsuit Filed Against the Plastics Industry
California sues ExxonMobil for alleged decades of deception around plastic recycling, in first-of-its-kind lawsuit
By Angela Dewan, CNN - Updated 4:24 PM EDT, Mon September 23, 2024
CNN —
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil on Monday alleging the company carried out a “decades-long campaign of deception” in which the oil and gas giant misled the public on the merits of plastic recycling.
The complaint accuses the company of using slick marketing and misleading public statements for half a century to claim recycling was an effective way to deal with plastic pollution, according to a press release from Bonta’s office published Monday. It alleges the company continues to perpetuate the “myth” of recycling today.
The case, filed in the San Francisco County Superior Court, seeks to compel ExxonMobil “to end its deceptive practices that threaten the environment and the public,” the statement said.
Bonta is also asking the court to rule ExxonMobil must pay civil penalties, among other payments, for the harm inflicted by plastic pollution in California.
“Plastics are everywhere, from the deepest parts of our oceans, the highest peaks on earth, and even in our bodies, causing irreversible damage — in ways known and unknown— to our environment and potentially our health,” Bonta said.
“For decades, ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they clearly knew this wasn’t possible. ExxonMobil lied to further its record-breaking profits at the expense of our planet and possibly jeopardizing our health,” he said.
In response to the lawsuit, ExxonMobil pointed the finger back at California, which it said has an ineffective recycling system that officials have known about for decades: “They failed to act, and now they seek to blame others. Instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to fix the problem and keep plastic out of landfills.”
The suit caps a more-than-two-year Department of Justice investigation into the role of fossil fuel and petrochemical companies in the global plastics waste crisis.
The probe uncovered never-before-seen documents, according to Monday’s statement.
ExxonMobil is the world’s second-biggest oil and gas company in terms of market value, but is also the world’s largest producer of polymers — materials made from fossil fuels that are used as the building blocks of single-use plastics, including plastic utensils, drink bottles and packaging.
Lawsuits against oil and gas companies for their role in climate change and air pollution are becoming more common, but Monday’s is the first in the country to take on a fossil fuel company for its messaging around plastic recycling.
The statement said that ExxonMobil “falsely promoted all plastic as recyclable, when in fact the vast majority of plastic products are not and likely cannot be recycled, either technically or economically.”
The lawsuit also alleges Exxon “continues to deceive the public by touting “advanced recycling” as the solution to the plastic waste and pollution crisis.” Advanced — or chemical — recycling is a technology promoted by many oil companies, but which has been plagued by missed targets, closed or shelved plants and reports of fires and spills.
ExxonMobil contends chemical recycling does work. “We’re bringing real solutions, recycling plastic waste that couldn’t be recycled by traditional methods,” the company said in a statement.
At the heart of the suit is the allegation ExxonMobil’s messaging caused consumers to buy and use more single-use plastic than they otherwise would have.
When plastic is discarded, its most likely fate is a landfill, incineration or simply being dumped into the environment. Recent reports have shown only around 9% of the world’s plastic is recycled, a figure that’s even lower in the US, around 5% to 6%.
Recycling has not kept pace with plastic production, which has doubled over the past 20 years.
Plastic also fuels the climate crisis; the vast majority is produced using planet-heating fossil fuels and it’s a huge driver of global oil demand.
Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency official and now president of Beyond Plastics, a project based at Bennington College in Vermont, welcomed the development as “the single most consequential lawsuit filed against the plastics industry for its persistent and continued lying about plastics recycling.”
“The plastics industry has known for decades that — unlike paper and glass and metal — plastics are not designed to be recycled and therefore do not achieve a high recycling rate. Yet, the industry made every effort to convince the public otherwise while profiting off the planetary crisis it created.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Laura Paddison contributed to this report.
August 27, 2024 A new twist in the ongoing saga of Temple Stuart! This week, the properties of the old Temple Stuart, former superfund site, went on sale for a cool 5 million. That’s 18 times more than it sold for two years ago! TCATW investigators found no evidence to support the rumor that EPA had unearthed an underground vault from Temple Stuart Furniture Company, with a safe full of gold bullion, during its recent excavations. However, the property does come with air conditioning, and other perks. Seriously, once the property is far enough along on the road to re-use as a Brownfields site, it likely will be more valuable.
QUITCLAIM DEED {August 22, 2022} AMERICAN TISSUE MILLS OF MASSACHUSETTS, INC., a Massachusetts corporation (the "Grantor"), for consideration paid of TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND AND 00/100 DOLLARS ($275,000.00), grant to MACVALLEE, LIC, a Massachusetts Limited Liability Company, with a mailing address of 24 Holman Street, Templeton, MA 01436, WITH QUITCLAIM COVENANTS, three certain parcels of land with the buildings thereon situated in the village of Baldwinville, Templeton, Worcester County, 01436 Massachusetts,
September 9, 2024
Many thanks again to Father Roberge of St. Vincent de Paul church for welcoming TCATW members to meet there, carrying on the compassion, humility, and generosity for which Vincent was known for!
A 21st century problem is thinking about individuality a lot more than about community. Together there is power and energy activated from the community coming together, cooperating on a single goal important to all. Meeting in person at the church lower hall was very powerful. This is the way to use the strength of each person in the best way: as part of a group. Remember, town hall staff, officials, and all 8000 residents are part of our community - even if they don’t see that clearly just yet.
It is not fair the town inherited these problems but together we can solve what would seem impossible for one person. Somebody has either profited in the past or profits now (maybe both) from the environmental problems at Temple Stuart - and someone wants to profit again, at everyone else’s expense. The last thing that should happen is to create even more environmental problems like the threat facing the town now. Let your voice be heard. No incinerators, no dumps, no toxic threats allowed!
EDIC Monday September 09, 2024 6:00 PM Discussion concerning how communities address Brownfield properties. Very important discussion that needs all of our attention! There are several Brownfields properties in town - the most important one now is Temple Stuart! Here are a few links about Brownfields: : https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-05/brownfieldsroadmapepa542-r-12-001.pdf https://www.mass.gov/doc/brownfields-liability-relief/download https://search.mass.gov/?q=brownfields&org=office-of-the-attorney-general&_gl=1*ny1y8n*_ga*MTE4OTk0MTA1Ny4xNzE2NzU4NTg4*_ga_E2HYQ6TW32*MTcyMTk0NDMxMS4yNi4xLjE3MjE5NDQ2MDkuMC4wLjA.*_ga_SW2TVH2WBY*MTcyMTk0NDMxMi4yNS4xLjE3MjE5NDQ2MDkuMC4wLjA https://www.massdevelopment.com/products-and-services/services-by-industry/municipalities/ https://www.massdevelopment.com/products-and-services/financing/bonds/#tax-exempt-bonds https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-funding
Select Board, Wednesday September 11, 2024 6:30 PM Board of Health, Monday September 23, 2024 7:00 PM
You matter. This matters. Your family’s health, lives and future are at stake. Come to the meetings or at least tune in on TCTV - which has a chat function. Also, please do what you can to get neighbors involved, especially new people in town, who were identified at Saturday’s meeting as in need of support in many ways. It’s not easy to break the ice when people are not already aware of what is going on. It may help to say that over 600 signatures have been collected, that a number of people in town hall are on board with this, and that businesses, places of worship, and people in neighboring towns also oppose the plastic waste incineration plant. People further away from the proposed waste plastic incineration plant would be mistaken to believe this will not significantly impact to their lives. Please share the website address as much as possible.
.
Massachusetts Town Votes Down Weak Measures to Protect Residents From Proposed Chemical Recycling Facility Following Opposition From Local Residents
“It was gratifying to see that everyone present wanted to protect Templeton and its residents from highly polluting industrial facilities, including those processing waste plastic,” said Ivan Ussach, director of the Millers River Watershed Council, who read a statement summarizing recent reports detailing problems with existing chemical recycling facilities. “the discussion on the town hall floor was mostly over wether the proposed additions to the town’s zoning bylaw language helped or hindered that cause.”
EPA: high levels of toxins at Temple Stuart!
Roughly 20 years after EPA declared clean up of hazardous materials at Temple Stuart site complete, there are now high levels of hazardous materials agin. Why?
Maine Enacts New Law Restricting So-Called "Advanced Recycling" Facilities
05 March 2024
The legislation is a response to a national lobbying effort by the plastic industry to greenwash expensive and polluting processes that convert plastic into toxic fuel and chemicals.
MAINE – Today, a bill that restricts the development of so-called "advanced recycling" facilities became law. The new law ensures advanced recycling facilities are subject to the state's environmental laws and regulations. The law also makes clear that processes that convert plastic into fuel or chemicals aren't considered recycling.
"This is a tremendous victory for Maine," said Peter Blair, Policy and Advocacy Director with Just Zero. "Advanced recycling is not a real solution to the plastic pollution crisis. It's an expensive, unreliable and toxic myth designed to keep us hooked on the polluting cycle of making and disposing unrecyclable single-use plastic."
As concern continues to grow over the environmental and public health impacts associated with plastic production and disposal, the plastic industry is marketing "advanced recycling" as the solution. Proponents argue that advanced recycling technologies can break down plastic into basic molecular building blocks which are then used to manufacture new plastic products. However, the truth is much more complicated.
Every advanced recycling facility in the U.S. converts plastic into fuels and chemicals which are subsequently burned. Virtually none of the plastic is used to manufacture new products. Burning this material releases significant amounts of pollution that threatens nearby communities.
Maine's new law prohibits the development of any advanced recycling facility unless the developer can consistently show that the facility will actually recycle at least 50% of the plastic it processes. Additionally, the law requires developers to meet financial assurance requirements.
The law is a direct response to the plastic industry's lobbying campaign to pass new legislation across the country that seeks to define advanced recycling facilities as "manufacturing," makes advanced recycling cheaper, easier, and less transparent. Currently, twenty four states have passed laws exempting advanced recycling facilities from necessary environmental regulations.
"The American Chemistry Council and others have been lobbying states legislatures across the country to make building and operating these polluting facilities easier and less transparent," said Blair. "These laws help perpetuate the myth that advanced recycling works when the evidence is clear that it is a false solution that threatens our health and our environment. Maine has shown tremendous leadership in not only rejecting the plastic industry's lies, but by going a step further to properly regulate these dangerous and toxic facilities."
In 2022, Just Zero published a report, Loopholes, Injustice, & the Advanced Recycling Myth, exposing the misinformation spready by the fossil fuel and plastic industry about advanced recycling.
###
Peter Blair, Email
Policy and Advocacy Director at Just Zero
BREAKING NEWS: Save Our Susquehanna, a community group, was successful in fighting a chemical recycling plant from being built in Point Township,PA. Read more about there work here.
https://ocean.org/app/uploads/2022/05/PLASTICS-TeacherMiddleSchool-.pdf
https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/climate-anxiety-101-understanding-recognizing-and-managing-environmental-worry