Only five percent of the material was in the correct condition to be recycled.
Of the 40 million tons of plastic waste generated in the United States last year, only five to six percent—or about two million tons—was recycled, according to a new =”https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5eda91260bbb7e7a4bf528d8/t/62726edceb7cc742d53eb073/1651666652743/The+Real+Truth+about+the+U.S.+Plastic+Recycling+Rate+2021+Facts+and+Figures+_5-4-22.pdf” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>report, conducted by the environmental groups Beyond Plastics and The Last Beach Cleanup. About 85 percent went to landfills, and ten percent was incinerated. The rate of plastic recycling decreased since 2018, when it was at 8.7 percent, per the study.
“The paltry 5-6 percent U.S. plastic recycling rate in 2021 should be a wake-up call to the false promise that plastic recycling is a credible solution to plastic waste and pollution,” the report states. “It’s time to implement real solutions, particularly the reduction of single-use plastic food service items that have the highest likelihood of polluting our environment.”
U.S. plastic waste exports, which are included in recycling rates, decreased from 1.84 million tons in 2017 to 0.61 million tons in 2021 as countries such as China began ceasing to accept America’s waste, per the report. The U.S. doesn’t have the capability to recycle all of its own plastic, Jan Dell, founder of the Last Beach Cleanup, tells the Guardian’s Katharine Gammon.
“We don’t have factories to do it,” she tells the publication. “It’s also very water-intensive, so we’re not going to build more plastic recycling facilities in the U.S.”
But despite a lack of recycling facilities, plastic waste has increased five-fold in the U.S. from 1980 to 2018. In 1980, the U.S. produced 7.4 million tons of plastic waste, and 38 years later, that number grew to 35.7 million tons, per the report.
At its peak in 2014, plastic recycling rates only reached 9.5 percent. Yet the authors write the low level of plastic recycling doesn’t seem to lie in the act of recycling itself, because paper recycling has increased from 21.3 percent in 1980 to 68.2 percent in 2018.
Instead, they blame a “decades-long misinformation campaign to perpetuate the myth that plastic is recyclable.” Additionally, Judith Enck, the president of Beyond Plastics, tells Earther’s Angely Mercado that the three arrow recycling symbol is misleading, because most municipalities recycle only certain types of plastics.
“Consumers are understandably confused,” Enck tells the organization. “They see the recycling logo, so they put the plastic packaging in their recycling bin.”
When residents co-mingle recyclable plastics with non-recyclable plastics, they contaminate loads, which then “usually get bundled for landfills or incineration,” per the study.
Even plastics that do make it to recycling facilities aren't all recycled, the authors report, stating that 30 to 36 percent of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are wasted during the recycling process.
“We need new laws on the books that reduce the amount of plastic packaging,” Enck tells Earther. “Because these companies are not going to reduce enough on their own, and consumers are left with little choices.”
7,798 comments
Franklinnon
A memorable post for me on a topic I had thought I was tired of, and a look at cypresschic suggested the same site can refresh other tired topics, sites that can revive my interest in subjects I had written off as exhausted are doing rare work and this one is clearly doing that for me today.
RafaelGrerm
Glad I clicked through from where I did because this turned out to be worth the time spent, and after blog66investment I had a fuller picture, the kind of content that earns its visitors through delivering value rather than chasing them through aggressive advertising or constant pop ups appearing everywhere on the screen lately.
mostbet_aiMi
мостбет lucky jet Кыргызстан [url=https://mostbet78188.shop]https://mostbet78188.shop[/url]
plinko_bcml
plinko devolucion semanal [url=https://www.plinko22480.shop]https://www.plinko22480.shop[/url]
YusufClert
Solid information that lines up with what I have been hearing from other reliable sources, and after my visit to violetvault I was even more certain of that, this site checks out which is something I value highly when so many places online play loose with the facts to chase a quick click.
Kirknoume
Now wishing I had found this site sooner, and a look at quoralia extended that mild regret, the calculation of how many years of good content I missed by not finding the right sources earlier is one I try not to make too often but it does come up sometimes when I find sites this good.
Burtonlycle
Thanks for the readable length, I finished it without checking how much was left, and a stop at datasavanna kept me reading the same way, when I stop noticing the length of a piece because the content is engaging enough to sustain attention without willpower the writer has done their job well today.
DuncanPab
Reading this prompted me to subscribe to my first newsletter in months, and a stop at blog66beautiful confirmed the subscribe was the right call, content that earns a newsletter signup is content that has cleared a higher trust bar than a casual visit and this site has clearly earned that level of commitment from me.
chicken-road_opPa
prelievo su carta chicken road [url=https://chicken-road33234.shop]https://chicken-road33234.shop[/url]
pinup_giMt
pinup Chile [url=pinup65285.icu]pinup65285.icu[/url]
pinup_xkMt
pin-up código bonus [url=https://www.pinup65285.icu]https://www.pinup65285.icu[/url]
Archmourl
Worth a slow read rather than the fast scan I usually default to, and a look at traceengine earned the same slower pace from me, content that resets my reading speed downward is content with substance worth absorbing and this site has produced that effect on me multiple times now over the last week here.
Mattser
Great work on keeping things readable, the post never drags or repeats itself which I really appreciate, and a stop at orbitolive added a bit more context that fit naturally with what was already said here, no need to read everything twice to get the point being made today.
pinup_tcMt
pin-up espejo actual [url=https://www.pinup65285.icu]https://www.pinup65285.icu[/url]
pinco_cvpl
pinco актуальный сайт [url=http://pinco60996.shop/]http://pinco60996.shop/[/url]
plinko_yqml
plinko blackjack en vivo [url=plinko22480.shop]plinko22480.shop[/url]
pinco_lnpl
pinco лайв ставки [url=http://pinco60996.shop]http://pinco60996.shop[/url]
aviator_kpPt
aviator ईमेल सपोर्ट [url=www.aviator60255.icu]www.aviator60255.icu[/url]
RickBit
Decided not to skim despite my usual habit and was rewarded for the discipline, and a stop at vastunit earned the same patient approach, training myself to recognise sites that warrant slower reading is part of being a careful online reader and this site is the kind that helps me practice that skill regularly.
Lainemiche
Considered as a whole this site has developed a coherent point of view that comes through in individual pieces, and a look at utilityunit continued displaying that coherence, sites with a unified perspective rather than a grab bag of takes are sites with editorial maturity and this one has clearly developed that maturity through years of work.
melbet_oaMa
melbet odengi вывод [url=http://melbet59184.shop/]http://melbet59184.shop/[/url]
Timodozy
Genuine pleasure to read, and that is not something I say often after a casual click through, and a quick visit to blog33open kept the same feeling going across the rest of the site, finding writing that actually feels good to spend time with rather than just functional is increasingly rare on the open web.
DarrenSnant
Will share this on a forum I am part of where it will be appreciated by others working in the same area, and a look at tactspot suggests there is more here worth passing along too, definitely a generous resource that deserves a wider audience than it probably has today across the open internet.
Trentonculty
Glad to have another data point on a question I am still thinking through, and a look at rebeccasbrown added two more, content that acknowledges its place in a wider conversation rather than pretending to settle the question alone is intellectually honest in a way that I wish was more common across the open web.
OliverWaync
Solid recommendation from me to anyone working in the area, the perspective here is grounded, and a look at mysterymuse adds even more useful angles, the kind of site that becomes a reference rather than just a one time read which is a higher bar than most blogs ever reach today on the modern web.
NathanielBig
Will share this on a forum I am part of where it will be appreciated by others working in the same area, and a look at neonnotch suggests there is more here worth passing along too, definitely a generous resource that deserves a wider audience than it probably has today across the open internet.
RoccoDut
Now realising the topic deserved better treatment than it has been getting elsewhere, and a look at vividvendor extended that broader recognition, content that exposes the gap between actual quality and average quality elsewhere is doing the quiet work of raising standards and this site is contributing to that elevation in its own corner.
MauriceFab
Really like the way the post resists reaching for cliches that would have made it feel generic, and a quick visit to roamgrid kept that fresh feel going, original phrasing and unexpected metaphors are signs that the writer is actually thinking rather than just stitching together familiar phrases into the appearance of content.
Gerardoflene
Worth recognising that this site does not chase the daily news cycle, and a stop at velvetvalley confirmed the longer publication arc, sites that resist the pressure to comment on every passing event are sites with genuine editorial discipline and this one has clearly chosen depth over volume which I respect deeply.
CalebTum
Different in a good way from the cookie cutter content that fills most blogs covering this area, and a stop at glamgrocer kept showing me why, original thoughtful writing exists if you know where to look and this site has earned a place on my short list of those rare exceptions worth defending.
Johngipse
Pleasant surprise, the post delivered more than the headline promised, and a stop at blog33boy continued that pattern of under promising and over delivering, the rarest combination on the modern web where most content does the opposite by promising the world and delivering thin recycled summaries instead each time you click on something interesting.
Curtiswaw
Found something quietly useful here that I expect to return to, and a stop at versaview added more of the same, content with quiet utility ages well in a way that flashy hot takes do not and I have learned to weight quiet utility much higher when deciding what to bookmark for later use.
NicobOove
High quality writing, no marketing speak and no buzzwords that mean nothing, and a stop at questperk kept that going, simple direct content that actually communicates something is harder to find than it should be and this is one of the rare places that gets it right consistently across many different posts.
AbrahamMuS
Reading this in my last reading slot of the day was a good way to end, and a stop at soothesail provided a satisfying close to the reading session, content that ends a day well rather than agitating it before sleep is the kind I value increasingly and this site fits that role for me consistently now.
Lucastar
Reading this gave me material for a conversation I needed to have anyway, and a stop at checkoutchamp added even more talking points, content that connects to upcoming social or professional needs rather than just being interesting in the abstract is the kind that earns priority placement in my attention these days routinely.
GeorgeGem
Came away with a small but real shift in perspective on the topic, and a stop at blog44chair pushed that shift a bit further, the kind of subtle reframing that good writing does to a reader without making a big deal of it is something I always appreciate when it happens which is sadly not that often.
Bobbysteal
Came in skeptical of the angle and left mostly persuaded, and a stop at blog66page pushed me a bit further in the same direction, content that can move a critical reader by argument rather than rhetoric is rare and worth pointing out because it indicates real substance underneath the surface presentation here.
KenReown
Picked a friend mentally as the audience for this and decided to send the link, and a look at devafluent confirmed the send was the right choice, choosing whom to share content with is a small act of curation that I take more seriously than the public sharing most platforms encourage these days online.
JeffreyawaKy
Felt the writer respected the topic without being precious about it, and a look at blog66hospital continued that respectful but unfussy treatment, finding the right register for serious topics is hard and this site has clearly figured out how to take the topic seriously while still being readable for casual visitors regularly.
aviator_soOi
aviator slots bd [url=https://www.aviator05653.icu]https://www.aviator05653.icu[/url]
EarlBon
Reading this in my last reading slot of the day was a good way to end, and a stop at cardamomcove provided a satisfying close to the reading session, content that ends a day well rather than agitating it before sleep is the kind I value increasingly and this site fits that role for me consistently now.
mostbet_csMi
mostbet вывод без комиссии [url=https://www.mostbet78188.shop]https://www.mostbet78188.shop[/url]
LelandTut
Reading the writers other posts after this one suggests the quality is consistent rather than peak, and a stop at blog66generation confirmed the consistent quality reading, sites that hold the same level across many pieces rather than peaking on a few are sites with sustainable editorial discipline and this one has clearly developed that.
olymp_lsMl
олимп фрибет условия [url=www.olymp25077.shop]олимп фрибет условия[/url]
olymp_smen
олимп crash вход [url=https://olymp31116.shop]https://olymp31116.shop[/url]
BufordRip
Found a small mental shift after reading this, the framing here is just a bit different from the standard takes online, and a look at mossmingle extended that fresh perspective across more material, the rare site whose voice actually changes how you think about something rather than just confirming existing beliefs.
IvanCoord
Worth saying that the post fit naturally into a rhythm of careful reading, and a stop at blog66focuss extended the same rhythm, content that pairs well with how I actually read rather than demanding a different mode is content well calibrated to its likely audience and this site has clearly thought about that consistently.
IanJah
Will share this on a forum I am part of where it will be appreciated by others working in the same area, and a look at hormonehelp suggests there is more here worth passing along too, definitely a generous resource that deserves a wider audience than it probably has today across the open internet.
Ezekielrum
Picked up two new ideas that I expect will come up in conversations this week, and a look at zappyzeny added another, content that arms me with talking points rather than just filling time is the kind that provides ongoing value beyond the moment of reading and this site is generating that kind of ongoing value.
mostbet_xhea
мостбет банковская карта [url=https://mostbet31564.shop/]мостбет банковская карта[/url]