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Recycling

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Drowning in plastic waste

In the 1950s, scientists invented a new material that would change the world forever: plastic. Cheap, durable, sanitary, strong, and light – and, as we have seen in the years since, very, very difficult to get rid of once we are through with it. About 70 percent of our discarded plastic winds up in open dumps or landfills, but much winds up in an even worse place: the ocean. David Pogue reports on why, even with ramped-up recycling efforts, it is so hard to get rid of plastic.

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CBS Reports | Does Big Plastic's Idea Work?

As America grapples with an escalating plastic crisis, the city of Houston, ExxonMobil and other partners announced a new program that promised to recycle nearly all of the city's plastic waste. However, after two years, the program has yet to fully materialize. Critics argue that the evidence suggests it never will. And yet, the company envisions similar programs in other American cities. CBS Reports and Inside Climate News investigate whether this proposed solution to our plastic recycling crisis is indeed too good to be true.

California sues ExxonMobil over plastics recycling

California sued ExxonMobil on Monday, accusing the oil company of misleading the public about plastic recycling. According to the lawsuit, ExxonMobil promoted recycling as a solution for consumers worried about buying more plastic products, while knowing that only about 5% of plastics get recycled. CBS News senior national and environmental correspondent Ben Tracy spoke with California Attorney General Robert Bonta about the lawsuit and what he calls Exxon's "decades-long deception."

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