The Recycling Myth⎜WHY PLASTIC?⎜(Full documentary)

Video Description

Can plastic be recycled? Do you know what happens to your plastic waste? In the last few years the plastic pollution crisis has become enormous. Pictures of poisoned animals, littered rivers, and polluted oceans have shocked the world. The plastic packaging industry has declared it knows how to solve the problem: recycling. Increasingly, bottles, boxes and sachets are proudly stamped with the words ‘100% recyclable’ as brands compete to reassure consumers that their packaging purchases are guilt-free. But if recycling is really the solution, why is the world pumping out more virgin plastic than ever before? Could recycling really be the ultimate greenwash? We follow the money into an industry that’s designed to hide the problem rather than solve it. We track the black-market brokers who hunt for countries to dump our plastic, waste moguls getting rich by burning trash, and the organized criminals for whom waste smuggling is now as lucrative as the drugs trade. We show how some of the biggest consumer-goods brands on earth spin the recycling fairytale as a way to allow them to continue polluting without consequence. As we all pick up the bill for a world drowning in plastic, the film asks: who is getting rich? Directors: Tom Costello & Benedict Wermter Released: 2021 This film is part of the WHY PLASTIC? Series. To find out more about the other films in our series head to thewhy.dk/whyplastic __________________________________ About THE WHY We believe free access to information is a human right. To combat unequal access to information THE WHY produces & donates documentaries to underserved countries and distributes them on a sliding fee scale to other broadcasters around the world. Follow us and learn more about our work: • https://www.thewhy.dk • https://www.instagram.com/thewhyfoundation • https://twitter.com/thewhyfound • https://facebook.com/TheWhyFound/