This story is a partnership between Inside Climate News and CBS News. Watch the CBS Reports documentary, "Advanced Recycling: Does Big Plastic's Idea Work?" in the video player above. HOUSTON ...

Davis Allen, an investigative researcher with the Center for Climate Integrity, said the industry didn't need for recycling to work: "They needed people to believe that it was working," he said.

The Orange County Water District's wastewater recycling program uses ponds, manmade waterfalls and technology to keep wells from running dry — a model for other regions facing water scarcity.