Plastics Litigation

Every year, cities, counties, and states spend billions of dollars cleaning up plastic waste. From street litter removal to managing overflowing landfills and mitigating microplastic pollution, the financial burden unjustly falls on state and local governments.

At Singleton Schreiber, we help municipalities take legal action against the corporations responsible for plastic pollution. Our experienced environmental litigation team works to recover waste management costs, protect public health, and shift accountability back to the manufacturers who have long misled the public about recycling and sustainability.

Contact Singleton Schreiber today to learn more about how we can support your plastics litigation efforts.

Why Choose Singleton Schreiber For Your Plastics Litigation?

We are currently advising municipalities across the country in groundbreaking cases aimed at holding the plastic industry accountable, and we’re ready to help you do the same. So, why choose us to represent you in your plastics litigation?

• We have a track record of taking on some of the world’s most powerful corporations, which gives us the uniquely necessary experience and knowledge to represent government entities in high-impact environmental cases
• Together, our attorneys have decades of experience in environmental justice, mass torts, and public nuisance litigation
• We invest the time and resources necessary to build strong, evidence-based cases, partnering with top experts in environmental science, waste management, and economics to strengthen your claim and maximize your chances of success.

The Hidden Truth About Plastic Waste

While recycling has been widely promoted as a solution to plastic waste, the truth is that most plastic is not recyclable, at least not in any cost-effective or sustainable way. The plastic industry has known this for decades but has continued to mislead the public, local governments, and policymakers.

Key Issues With Plastic Waste:

• Different plastics require separate processing and can’t be recycled together.
• Recycled plastics degrade in quality and are limited in how often they can be reused.
• It’s often cheaper for companies to produce new (“virgin”) plastic than to recycle used plastic.
• Most plastic breaks down into microplastics that contaminate ecosystems and pose health risks.

According to a report from the Center for Climate Integrity, internal records show that plastic manufacturers and big oil companies knew as far back as the 1970s that widespread plastic recycling was not feasible. However, they still launched campaigns to promote recycling as a way to avoid meaningful regulation and to shift responsibility onto the public and local governments.

In recent years, industry players have shifted toward promoting “advanced recycling”, which is a process that remains largely unproven, economically unsound, and environmentally questionable.

The Financial Toll of Plastics on Municipalities

Plastics make up a relatively small percentage of total solid waste, around 7-12 percent. However, managing it is disproportionately expensive. Cities and counties face both direct and indirect financial impacts, including:

• Direct Expenses: Litter cleanup, public education programs, facility construction and upgrades, and routine plastic waste management.
• Indirect Losses: Tourism declines, reduced property values, and increased public safety issues linked to environmental degradation.
• Global Costs: The global price tag for managing plastic waste exceeds $32 billion annually.

These costs have surged in recent years due to international bans on plastic waste imports, leaving local governments with even fewer options.

What Legal Options Are Available for Cities, Counties, and States?

Governments can now pursue litigation to hold the responsible parties accountable to recover damages and call for real industry reform.  

Potential legal claims may include:

• Public nuisance – suing for widespread plastic pollution that interferes with public health, safety, or the use of public spaces, like parks and waterways
• Trespass – alleging that plastic waste or microplastics have unlawfully entered and contaminated public land or water systems
• Product liability – holding manufacturers accountable for designing and distributing plastic products they knew would not be recyclable or safely disposable
• Consumer fraud – claiming that companies misled the public by marketing plastics as recyclable despite knowing otherwise
• Violations of anti-littering statutes – pursing penalties against companies whose packaging consistently ends up as litter in public spaces (like cigarette butts)
• RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) – alleging that plastic manufacturers engaged in coordinated deception over recycling to avoid regulation and shift cleanup costs
• Negligence – asserting that companies failed to exercise reasonable care in the design, labeling, and lifecycle planning of plastic products, causing foreseeable harm to communities

Who Can Be Held Responsible?

A wide range of corporations and industry groups have contributed to the plastic waste crisis, many of which may be held legally accountable for the environmental and financial harm caused by their products and misleading practices. Potentially liable parties may include:

• Major beverage and consumer goods companies – these companies are among the largest producers of single-use plastics
• Fossil Fuel and Petrochemical Companies – these corporations produce the raw materials used in virgin plastic manufacturing and have promoted “advanced recycling”
• Tobacco Companies – cigarette butts are a major source of plastic pollution due to their cellulose acetate filters
• Industry Trade Groups and Lobbying Organizations – these groups have allegedly played a key role in promoting misleading narratives about recycling
• And more

Ongoing Legal Action

Several government entities have already begun to take legal action, including:

• City of Baltimore v. Pepsico, et al.
• California v. ExxonMobil

These and other actions are tracked in the Plastics Litigation Tracker by NYU and represent a growing movement toward accountability and cost recovery.

Call Singleton Schreiber Today

Your community shouldn’t be forced to pay for the plastics industry’s decades of deception and pollution. Singleton Schreiber is ready to help your city, county, or state pursue justice and compensation.

Contact us today with the evaluation form below or calling us at 866-322-7864 to discuss your legal options and join the fight for a cleaner, healthier future.