SAN FRANCISCO — California sued ExxonMobil Monday, alleging it deceived the public for half a century by promising that recycling would address the global plastic pollution crisis.
Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said that even with recycling programs, less than 5% of plastic is recycled into another plastic product in the U.S. even though the items are labeled as “recyclable.” As a result, landfills and oceans are filled with plastic waste.
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Bonta said Exxon lied to the public about recycling to make money.
“Buy as much as you want. No problem. ‘It will be recycled,’ they said. Lies. They make us feel less guilty about our waste if we recycle,” said Bonta. “The end goals, drive people to buy, buy, buy and to drive Exxon profits up, up, up… It’s time Exxon pay the price for its deceit. It’s …