On Aug. 15, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the United Nations ended without a legally binding treaty on plastics pollution. With more than 2,600 participants, including 1,400 member delegates from 183 countries, the session was declared a failure. One of the major issues was, “should a treaty impose caps on new plastic production or should it focus instead on waste management, reuse, and improved design?”

The conglomerate of oil-producing nations refused to adhere to legally binding rules and were adamant in stating that they would not agree to curtailing new plastic production. They were also against disclosing hazardous chemicals used in production or phasing these chemicals out. Many nations argued that the treaty needs to address the full life cycle of plastics; from production to waste disposal.

Over 16,000 compounds used in plastics have their origins in the petrochemical industry. Many of these are carcinogenic or endocrine disruptors and have never been tested for toxicity. They include pesticides, phthalates, bisphenols, and styrene. According to the August 2025 report “Plastics Poison the Workplace,” exposure to plasticizers can occur at a recycling facility, at a waste to energy plant, and even at an office where workers are exposed through contact with carpeting, synthetic fibers, electronics, and office furniture.

Some of the plasticizers, colorants, flame retardants, UV stabilizers, and metals added to plastic formulations are compounds included on the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) list. This list was a result of the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to regulate the worst of the worst toxic compounds. The USA signed the treaty in 2001 but never ratified it. Without full disclosure of the chemical compounds used in plastics, the ability to select an appropriate disposal technique becomes problematic. For example, brominated flame retardants and fluorinated water repellents can contain the persistent carcinogenic compounds known as PFAS.

PFAS are compounds manufactured from polyfluoroalkyl substances. They were made famous by the movie “Dark Waters,” which exposed the contamination of communities around Parkersburg and Marietta where DuPont was manufacturing the precursor to PFAS (C-8).

These compounds are widely used in everything from rain coats and food wrappers to cosmetics and school uniforms. The industries that use PFAS are adamant about not banning its use or even disclosing its role in polymer mixtures. The Trump administration recently rolled back Biden era rules that tried to limit the amount of six widely used PFAS compounds.

While there are many applications where plastics are necessary, there are also many current uses of plastics that are not crucial to our lives. I grew up in the late 50s and still remember a world without seeing plastics everywhere. Why have plastics become so ubiquitous? First, the plastic industry’s PR campaigns have us convinced we cannot live without the convenience of plastics. Every day we throw away 356,000 tons of single-use plastics globally. The fast food cups, forks, and plates that make life convenient also create microplastics. When a plastic cup enters the environment, it is exposed to UV light and oxygen. Over time it becomes brittle, and as a result breaks up into tiny pieces known as microplastics. Microplastics can enter our bodies via ingestion and inhalation and can build up in most of our organs. Researchers have detected them in lungs, liver, heart, brain, and reproductive organ tissue.

Another reason the production of plastics keeps increasing is to offset declining demand for oil and gas in the energy sector. Plastics have become the new darling of the industry. This is evidenced by the build out of the petrochemical facilities in the Ohio River Valley, including Shell’s plastic cracker plant in Monaca, Pa.

In addition to health effects, plastic production is a major driver of climate change. The industry releases as much carbon dioxide as 600 coal-fired power plants. “Researchers found that more than 75% of the greenhouse gases generated by plastics are emitted in the steps before plastics compounds are assembled.” The emissions start at the well-pad where a gas mixture is obtained via fracking Marcellus or Utica shale. Ethane gas is separated from the mixture and becomes the building block for polyethylene plastic. During the process, emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, are released via pipeline leaks and flaring at the well pad.

The nations who produce petrochemicals and fossil fuels are trying to convince us that better recycling programs and “advanced chemical recycling” can help us get out of this plastic mess. Our recycling rate has not improved in the last 30 years, and has dropped from 9% to about 6% for plastics. Mechanical recycling is expensive and generates microplastics during the process, which involves shredding recycled materials. Economically speaking, virgin plastics are just cheaper to make than recycling plastics.

Additionally, advanced chemical recycling or pyrolysis fails to create the promised “new plastics.” The process involves heating waste plastics in an oxygen-free setting with the hopes of breaking large polymers into smaller monomers, which might be converted to a new plastic. What happens in reality is that more hazardous wastes are generated in the form of a toxic fuel. “A 2023 study by scientists from the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) found that when pyrolysis is used to process plastic waste, only 0.1% to 6% of this plastic waste can become new plastic.” Alterra, an Akron-based pyrolysis plant, was one of three pyrolysis facilities that generated more than 2 million pounds of hazardous wastes in less than four years.

There is only one way to get us out of this plastic mess; stop using single-use plastics and avoid buying plastic-based clothing. The companies that produce plastics are not about to solve a problem that hurts their bottom line. It is up to us, the consumers, to take on the plastics industry and “just say NO.”

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Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D., of Uhrichsville, is a retired research chemist who volunteers with Mid Ohio Valley Climate Action. She has a doctorate degree in environmental studies and is certified in hazardous materials regulations.