Take Action: Tell the illinois general assembly to vote NO on House Bill 1616.

HB1616 would extend the deadline for a pyrolysis or gasification facility to be permitted WITHOUT going through normal IL EPA permitting and review process, exposing nearby communities to potential dangerous emissions.

1. Click here to find your IL Assembly Representative and their phone number.

2. When someone answers, feel free to use your own words or follow this short script:

"Hi, my name is _YOUR NAME_ and I'm calling from _YOUR TOWN/CITY_ and I'm calling today to urge you to vote NO on HB1616. HB1616 would extend the deadline for a pyrolysis or gasification facility to be permitted without going through the normal IL EPA permitting and review process. Chemical recycling technologies are not actually recycling, instead these technologies mostly turn plastic into crude oils or synthetic natural gas. They are known to release harmful and toxic emissions, threatening health and potentially exposing communities to toxic pollution. I urge you to vote NO on HB1616 and protect our air and water. "

3. Thank the staffer for taking your call.

4. Once you've hung up, please take a moment to fill out the form on the right to let us know how your calls went -- a very important step!

Thank you so much for helping to stem the tide of plastic pollution in Illinois.

background

Chemical recycling technologies, specifically pyrolysis and gasification, are not actually recycling. These technologies break down the bonds in plastics, turning them into crude oils or synthetic natural gas instead of back into plastics. Even worse, they are known to release harmful and toxic emissions, harming health and exposing communities to toxic pollution.

Make no mistake – we need real recycling to work if we want to reduce pollution and meet our climate goals. “Quick fixes” like pyrolysis, and harmful chemical recycling technologies are anything but:

·       Pyrolysis and gasification threaten our communities,

·      Release toxic emissions into our environment, and

·      Undermine waste reduction.

For more information on "chemical recycling", see the Natural Resources Defense Council's 2022 report, "RECYCLING LIES: 'CHEMICAL RECYCLING' OF PLASTIC IS JUST GREENWASHING INCINERATION."