As states with Democratic-controlled legislatures focus on recycling plastic waste, states where members of the Republican Party control the legislature are benefiting financially from the output of a high-temperature plastic melting process, according to the online newsletter PoliticoPro.  

California and New York are among the states which have recently passed new laws which increase recycling rates and produce new products from recycled materials. States including Texas, Ohio and others lack in-state recycling capabilities. Their surplus plastic is being shipped to states which utilize a chemical method that separates plastic into oil – its base component – “by using high heat to break down plastics into fossil-fuel building blocks”.  

Chemical recycling – which is strongly opposed by environmentalists – is now permitted in 21 states. Legislators in Indiana, Utah and Nebraska will consider new rules on chemical recycling in 2023, PoliticoPro reports.