I think the negative press is maybe not an agenda against the industry, but just the sad reality that the industry isn't effective anymore. In the US plastics recycling has mostly devolved into PR operation to make consumers feel less guilty about consuming all the plastic. Since China has stopped taking scrap plastic from the US (and likely UK too) the vast fraction has gone into storage and landfills.

Basically we're now on our own to try to figure out what to do with it. And until we do plastic recycling will mostly continue to be a PR psychology operation for consumers.

I have a feeling there will be no money in recycling medium and low grade mixed plastics. It might become break even, or it needs to be subsidized I'm guessing. You can pay people a small amount of money to try to make it into a usable resin to mix into asphalt for patching roads. You might be able to use it to admix into solid rocket fuel. But there's no money or negative money in all these uses. It needs to be slightly subsidized likely. I'm okay with spending a few cents of tax if it would help get rid of my pakaging and consumption.