ExxonMobil sued for plastics recycling deception

In the civil lawsuit, California's attorney general is suing ExxonMobil over engaging in a “decades-long campaign of deception” about the effectiveness of plastics recycling and causing a plastic pollution crisis.

The case, seeking “multiple billions of dollars”, marks the first time US officials have attempted to hold a gas or oil company accountable for deceptive claims about plastics recycling.

California's Attorney General Rob Bonta accused the oil giant contributing to a “deluge” of plastic pollution, while telling Californians that recycling was a fix, according to BBC.

"For decades, ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they clearly knew this wasn’t possible,” Bonta said.

California's attorney general suing ExxonMobil for misleading public on plastic recycling. 

“For decades, California officials have known their recycling system isn't effective. They failed to act, and now they seek to blame others,” responded ExxonMobil in a statement. “Instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to fix the problem and keep plastic out of landfills."

Besides, an ExxonMobil spokesperson added that the company had processed more than 60 million pounds (27 million kilograms) of plastic waste into usable raw materials, reported BBC.

Last year, Rob Bonta sued ExxonMobil and four other oil giants for compensation over climate change damages.

The case opens a new front in the legal battles against oil and gas companies over climate and environmental issues, said The New York Times. According to the American daily newspaper, more than two dozen state and local governments have sued companies for their role in the climate crisis, and none have gone trial yet.