In a deeply concerning move, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has withdrawn its proposed rules that would have imposed stricter regulations on chemical recycling facilities. Chemical recycling – often promoted as a solution to plastic waste – breaks down plastics using heat and solvents to produce fuel or feedstock. However, critics argue it is little more than a rebranding of waste-to-fuel incineration, generating hazardous pollutants in the process.
The now-abandoned rules would have classified pyrolysis and gasification operations as ‘incineration’ under the Clean Air Act, requiring them to meet stringent emissions standards. Industry lobbyists fiercely opposed these changes, arguing that they would hinder innovation in recycling technologies.
This decision comes at a time when public health researchers are increasingly worried about links between the chemicals used in plastic production and rising cancer rates. Rather than moving towards safer, more circular materials systems, the Trumpian EPA appears to be bowing to industry pressure, allowing chemical recycling to continue under lax regulations.
As concerns grow over the health impacts of plastic production and disposal – particularly in vulnerable (often poor and/or black) communities near these facilities – this reversal raises urgent questions about whose interests are being prioritised in environmental policymaking.