of environmental protection agency It is reconsidering whether facilities that chemically recycle plastics should be held to the same strict air pollution standards as incineration facilities.
The potential change has alarmed environmentalists, who say it will cause further damage. dangerous pollution Spitting it out into the community with little or no checks at the federal level. The plastics industry disputes this, saying it can eliminate disruption while curbing emissions.
the world is exciting Millions of tons of plastic pollution It is released into the environment every year. meanwhile dozens of countries And while many environmental groups are calling for caps on production and industry, some major oil-producing countries are against it, advocating instead for better reuse and recycling.
Chemical recycling uses heat and chemicals to break down plastic. The main methods are: a process known as pyrolysishas long been regulated as incineration under the Clean Air Act. The EPA limits the emissions of nine air pollutants from incinerators, including toxic particles, heavy metals, and dioxins.
AP AUDIO: EPA may ease regulations on chemical plastic recycling, environmentalists are concerned
The EPA is proposing changes to plastic recycling that are alarming environmentalists. Associated Press correspondent Donna Warder reports.
The agency said possible new rules could instead qualify pyrolysis as manufacturing.
The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, has been advocating for such a change for years.
“The definition of incineration is to destroy it, right? We’re literally trying to eliminate it,” said Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Manufacturers, which leads ACC’s plastics advocacy efforts. “That’s not what they’re doing here. They’re trying to preserve it and recover the material. That’s recycling, that’s manufacturing.”
Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator who now heads Beyond Plastics, disagrees with what she says would result in “a much weaker level of environmental protection.”
“Chemical recycling companies know they have to get this important Clean Air Act permit to operate, but they don’t like it,” she said. “They’ve spent decades convincing the EPA to change the rules of the game. Republican and Democratic administrations have refused. But they hit the jackpot with the Trump administration.”
Alert for changes in pyrolysis control method
EPA regulates pyrolysis under Section 129 of the Air Pollution Reduction Act from four categories of solid waste incinerators. The agency told The Associated Press that the 2005 final rule, which included “pyrolysis/combustion equipment” in its provisions, was vague and caused confusion in the industry.
The EPA said it is seeking public comment on a rule that could qualify pyrolysis as manufacturing under another section 111 of the Clean Air Act.
John Wolk, who leads the National Clean Air Initiative for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Section 111 does not regulate as many pollutants as Section 129. They also argued that EPA’s plan skips important steps in a lengthy and necessary rulemaking process.
Walk also said the EPA’s move amounts to immediate deregulation of these facilities under the act. He said going through the legal process to regulate the industry under separate provisions would take years and leave gaps where federal emissions standards don’t apply.
“On Monday, you can take control of a facility to prevent harmful air pollutants from being released into the atmosphere, and on Tuesday, that facility has legal permission to turn off the pollution control devices in place, allowing it to release unlimited amounts of harmful air pollution into the same communities that were better protected on Monday,” he said. “Why would they do that? Why would they turn off the pollution control equipment that is in place? Because it costs money to operate it.”
Eisenberg disputed that. He said other provisions of the Clean Air Act will continue to apply and the facility will be licensed by the state, so emissions will continue to be controlled and the surrounding community will be safe. These are “very heavily regulated,” Eisenberg said.
The recycling rate of plastic waste is meager
According to the American Chemistry Council, more than 90% of plastics are not recycled. it promises chemical or advanced recycling You can change that. As a complement to traditional mechanical recycling, chemical recycling can help significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills while producing a variety of products, ACC says.
This process breaks down plastics into liquids and gases to produce oily mixtures or base chemicals that can be used to make new plastics and fuels. It’s like “not baking the cake,” Eisenberg said.
Environmental groups argue that advanced recycling is not recycling, but waste disposal, and distracts from real solutions, such as reducing the production and use of plastics.
According to the American Chemistry Council, six pyrolysis plants are operating in Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, Indiana and Georgia, with one more under construction in Arizona and West Virginia, and a small pilot project in Maryland. ACC has been lobbying states and Congress to enact laws regulating chemical recycling as a manufacturing industry. Currently, 25 states have implemented this, and legislation is pending in Congress.
Despite these legislative successes, Eisenberg said the number of proposals to build these power plants has declined in recent years, due in part to the permitting process.
“I often tell people to take a step back,” he said. “Do you want to recycle more? If the answer is yes, we should do everything we can to make more recycling happen online.”
Eisenberg said he has made it clear to the Trump administration that reforming the Clean Air Act is a priority. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Tour of ExxonMobil’s Baytown, Texas facility Last year, I was able to see chemical recycling firsthand.
Critics say notice of possible changes was buried
In March, the EPA issued a notice seeking comments on a proposed rule that would consolidate regulations for different types of incinerators, and asked for comments on the removal of references to pyrolysis in a small section. The EPA last mentioned this issue. Press release regarding air curtain incinerator.
Enck said this was a bombshell buried in the rulemaking notice. EPA emphasized the press release and dismissed the criticism.
At last week’s hearing, many people, including about a dozen speakers from the nonprofit group Mom’s Clean Air Force, urged the EPA to continue regulating pyrolyzers as incinerators. Kiya Stanford, the group’s Georgia organizer, said in testimony that the change in the ordinance “feels like a move that puts polluters before humans,” offering the plastics industry a cheap way to make waste invisible by spewing it into the atmosphere as toxic pollution.
The agency proposed similar changes in 2020, during President Donald Trump’s first term. Biden administration the amendment was withdrawn.
Wolk said if EPA finalizes the withdrawal now, NRDC intends to challenge it in court.
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