California has just filed a blockbuster lawsuit against ExxonMobil, alleging that the industry giant has been lying for years about how easy it is to recycle plastic, reports the Guardian.
- "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," said state attorney general Rob Bonta. The suit is the culmination of a two-year state investigation.
- The company is one of the world's biggest manufacturers of substances used to make plastics, and the state blames it for "creating an environmental blight that has cost the state billions of dollars to clean," per the Los Angeles Times. The suit seeks unspecified damages.