Plastic waste incineration releases:
- Carcinogenic, noxious pollutants into the air, land, and water
- Greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. carbon dioxide)

Increasing worldwide regulatory and environmentalist opposition to plastic waste incineration due to:
- The contribution to greenhouse gas emissions
- Hazardous waste storage requirements for toxic ash in landfills

Decomposition of plastic waste differs from the decomposition of most other waste materials:
- Plastic waste decomposition time can exceed 1,000 years depending on the type of plastic waste.
- Plastic waste can potentially leach harmful pollutants into nearby soil, rivers, streams, and aquifers.

Dumping is not confined to land:
- Greenpeace states that plastic waste dumping accounts for 90% of total ocean waste and creates "rubbish soups" that pollute our oceans.
- Over 100 million tons of plastic waste has been dumped in the Pacific Ocean.
- Dumping is detrimental to ocean ecosystems.

Recycling does not provide an adequate solution for the waste plastic problem:
- Based on data collected on a state-by-state basis from BioCycle, it is estimated that the actual plastic recycling rate in the United States is below a 4% average.
- In 2007, over 40% of the U.S. population still did not have access to curbside recycling collection systems.

Current recycling techniques lack efficiency:
- The EPA states that the cost of waste plastic recycling ranges from $50 to $150+ per ton.
- Different plastic resin types cannot be mixed for recycling.

Domestic landfill capacity is running out:
- Between 1978 and 2006, the number of active landfills in the U.S. dropped more than 90% from 20,000 to less than 1,800.
- According to Waste Management's 2006 Annual Report, "the weighted average remaining landfill life for all of our owned or operated landfills is approximately 28 years."

Waste plastic has historically been a major contributor to total Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) deposited in landfills:
- Waste plastic already in landfills (1960-2007) is approximately 896 million tons based on data derived from EPA statistics.
- According to the Plastic Industry Trade Association, plastic buried in landfills can occupy up to 24% of all landfill space.

Most plastic is made from nonrenewable energy resources, principally natural gas and oil. Our culture of consumption, and the increased use of plastics associated with it, has further contributed to the demand for oil.

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy, the United States:
- Possesses 2% of the world's oil reserves
- Has 4.5% of the world's population
- Produces 8% of the world's oil
- Consumes 24% of the world's oil production

Since 1985, U.S. net oil imports and consumption have generally increased while domestic production decreased. The Department of Energy estimates that:

- U.S. share of imports will rise to nearly 75% of national consumption by the year 2020.
- Domestic consumption is expected to increase 30% by the year 2020.
- Domestic production will further decline by 15% by the year 2020.
- Global oil production and oil reserve discovery rate is in decline.

It is interesting to note that plastic production uses 8% of the world's oil production, with 4% used as feedstock and 4% providing the energy required for plastic production. Given the DOE statement that global oil production and reserve discovery rates are in decline (and the EPA estimate of ever increasing demand for plastic) the percentage of oil used for plastic production will increase in the coming years.