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(Cartoon) The Myth of Plastic Recycling [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-05-01

A cartoon by me and Becky Hawkins.

I don’t have a cartoon syndicate and I’m not in newspapers. But I get to do this for a living because lots of readers support my Patreon with mostly small pledges! I also have prints and books for sale.

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON

This cartoon has four panels. There's also a tiny "kicker" panel under the strip.

PANEL 1

A researcher wearing a white lab coat and carrying a thick bound report walks into an executive's office. The executive is sitting with his feet on a big desk.

RESEARCHER: Here's my report on plastic recycling... I'm afraid it's bad news. Recycling plastic just won't work.

PANEL 2

A close up of the researcher, who looks very nervous.

RESEARCHER: Recycling plastic costs so much that recycled plastic will never compete with new plastic. The only thing it might do is deceive the public into thinking there's no problem.

PANEL 3

The executive is now holding the report. Behind the researcher, two toughs are creeping up, one raising a bludgeoning tool up to hit the researcher, the other holding out a sack big enough to hide a body.

RESEARCHER: To avoid an ecological crisis, we have to stop making so much plastic.

EXECUTIVE: I see. By the way, is this the only copy of the report?

RESEARCHER: Yes, why?

PANEL 4

CAPTION: And so, for the next fifty years...

A spokesmodel woman stands in front of cameras, next to a table overflowing with plastic products.

SPOKESMODEL: Use all the plastic you want! We'll recycle!

TINY KICKER PANEL

The spokesmodel yells at Barry.

SPOKESMODEL: Use somewhat less plastic? You want us to live like cavemen?

CHICKEN FAT WATCH

"Chicken fat" is obsolete cartoonists' jargon for unimportant but fun details.

PANEL 1 - A framed graph on the wall seems to show profits moving up. The caption under the graph says "Sales of profit/loss charts up 47%"

PANEL 2 - One of the pens in the researcher's breast pocket is actually a little test tube containing bubbling green liquid.

PANEL 4 - The backdrop says "Plastic: It's what's for dinner." A little toy plastic car is being driven by a plastic kitten and unicorn. A label of a large bottle says "5 GAL background details."

[END]
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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/1/2319962/-Cartoon-The-Myth-of-Plastic-Recycling?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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