💬 Quoted… "[Recycling] has always been a fraud, and it's always been a way for the industry to sell more plastic."

• PSA: This bit of news may come as a gut-punch to anyone who takes extra time to sort the recycling from the trash. According to a new report from the Center for Climate Integrity, plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution, yet continue to promote it anyway. The 68-page report draws on previous investigations, as well as newly revealed internal documents, and cites various examples of industry execs saying one thing behind closed doors and another thing publicly. For instance, in 1989, around the time the plastics industry launched its recycling campaign, the head of an industry trade group acknowledged that "recycling cannot go on indefinitely, and does not solve the solid waste problem." An Exxon Chemical VP, during a 1994 meeting with a plastics trade group, is also quoted as saying (about recycling): "We are committed to the activities, but not committed to the results." The biggest reason for this? Recycling isn’t economically viable. Making new plastic is relatively cheap, but recycling this plastic generally costs as much or more than the material is worth, NPR reports. Other technical challenges exist as well. The result: only about 5%–6% of plastics used in the US each year actually gets recycled.

🏙️ Stat of the Day: A New York City man who managed to live rent-free in the New Yorker Hotel for the past five years by exploiting an obscure local housing law was arrested on Wednesday, after authorities discovered he filed false paperwork claiming ownership of the entire hotel building, and also tried to charge another tenant rent.

🤔 Did You Know?... The University of Oxford is older than the Aztec Empire. The school first opened its doors to students in 1096, while the Aztec civilization originated in 1325.

📰 Worth a Read: Red flags, missed clues: How accused US diplomat-turned-Cuban spy avoided scrutiny for decades → (Associated Press)