Compressing axis to distort time trend

[gebmultics]

Here is an example of lying with data my students uncovered. The source of the data is the American Chemistry Council, as repeated by the EPA https://epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data.

Is plastic use rising or plateauing? And is the waste being recycled or given a second useful life? Almost no plastic is composted, but this graph from the EPA and ACC seems to indicate plastic use is plateauing. A point the chemical industry likes to make. But look closely at the time scale:

See, they switch from decades to years! Why? Because it stretches the graph in time, giving the impression of a slow down. But if you graph linearly, ....