getting to the root of the plastic pollution problem

Around the beginning of the 1990s, public opinion began to turn sharply against plastic. For the preceding several decades, litter had become a noticeable problem around the world's beaches and highway medians, and it was not a good look. Sensing potential backlash and scandal, the beverage and packaging industries—the source of all this plastic—responded with massive investment in recycling campaigns, and advertising to promote them.