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We're in a plastic crisis.

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But who's responsible for this mess?[br]And how can we turn it around?

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Let me toss a few facts at you.

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More than half the plastic ever produced[br]was created in the last decade.

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And only about 9% of the plastic ever made[br]has been recycled.

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But before you go blaming [br]your lazy neighbor

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for that dismal recycling rate,

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maybe we should take a step back

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and see how we got here[br]in the first place.

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And to answer <i>that</i> question.

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We've got to go way way back[br]to where the plastic begin.

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No, no, no... not that far back.

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Right, that's good.

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These are fracking wells,

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which is where a lot[br]of the plastic (bleep)

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you see lying around[br]in the environment starts.

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Over the last decade,

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governments handed out [br]billions of dollars in tax subsidies

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and gutted environmental rules

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to encourage oil[br]and natural gas development.

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That created a lot[br]of new cheap oil and gas

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that companies like Dow and Exxon[br]also turned into plastic.

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In other words, lots of cheap oil and gas[br]means lots of cheap plastic.

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In fact, plastic is now the fastest [br]growing source of greenhouse gases

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like CO2 and methane.

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Huge consumer goods companies

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then turn all that cheap plastic [br]into packaging or products

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that often get used just once[br]and then can't or won't get recycled.

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And with no laws

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holding producers responsible[br]for the plastic waste they create,

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guess who picks up the bill[br]for all that junk?

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That's right, us. The taxpayers!

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The companies who make[br]and use single-use plastics

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want you to believe that recycling[br]will take care of all of it.

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But it turns out it's often more expensive[br]to recycle something

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than it is just to create new plastic.

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Some cities and towns

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are even considering ditching[br]their recycling programs altogether.

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Take Maine, for example.

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Mainers want to do the right thing,

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but products continue to be packaged[br]in wasteful ways

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and towns are struggling[br]with what to do with them

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when they get to the dump.

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You see, when the people[br]who create plastic packaging

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aren't responsible for managing and paying[br]for their waste, bad things happen.

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Like really bad things.

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That's why many are starting to rethink[br]packaging and the way waste is handled.

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One way to do that

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is through a system called[br]Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

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You might also call it polluter pays[br]or 'a great idea'.

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EPR for packaging [br]puts companies on the hook

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by making them accountable[br]for the stuff they put on our shelves.

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Like paying more[br]for non-recyclable materials.

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While the US doesn't require manufacturers[br]to help manage their packaging waste,

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many other places do,

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including several Canadian provinces[br]and all countries in the EU.

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Some of these laws [br]have been in place for 30 years

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and many of these places now see[br]recycling rates of up to 80%.

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And, better yet,

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when the companies become responsible[br]for their waste, the real magic happens.

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They realize that it's actually cheaper[br]to reduce their packaging

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than to pay to clean it up.

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That's the beauty of extending[br]the responsibility to the real polluters.

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It can help reduce plastic waste[br]on the front end,

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improve recycling by creating[br]a cleaner waste stream,

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and, oh yeah,

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tackle this thing called[br]climate change too.

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Coupled with other ways[br]to reduce unnecessary plastics,

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like bag and foam bans,

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performing recycling [br]through EPR for packaging

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is what the world needs.

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What's your take on EPR?[br]Tell us in the comments below.

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Thanks for watching.

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If you like this video,[br]please like and subscribe.