Exxon's Houston-area advanced recycling facility took center stage in California AG's lawsuit that alleged the company misled the public on its plastic reuse.

California sued ExxonMobil on Monday alleging a decades-long campaign that falsely promised recycling would effectively address plastic waste. The big picture: The first-of-its-kind lawsuit seeks to hold the oil giant — one of the largest producers of petroleum-based polymers — accountable for misleading the public and polluting the state.

Debates over whether sorting the recycling bin is worth the effort rage in kitchens everywhere. Now, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a landmark lawsuit against ExxonMobil for “deceiving” the public about the recyclability of plastic products and exacerbating the plastic pollution crisis.