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.”
7,755 comments
Timothygrire
In the middle of an otherwise scattered day this post landed as a moment of focus, and a stop at dumbbelldepot extended that focused feeling across more pages, content that anchors a fragmented day rather than contributing to the fragmentation is content with real centring effect and this site is providing that anchoring function for me.
Angelval
Looking forward to seeing what gets published next month, and a look at ergoshop extended that anticipation across the broader site, finding myself looking forward to a sites future content rather than just consuming its existing content is a stronger commitment level than I usually reach with new finds and this site triggered that.
Roytum
Reading this gave me confidence to make a decision I had been putting off, and a stop at berrybrilliance reinforced that confidence, content that translates into action in my own life rather than just informing it is content with the highest practical value and this site is generating that action level utility for me lately.
Juansew
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BertUnads
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Marlonbloft
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EmilianoWeesk
Reading this in the gap between work projects was a small but meaningful break, and a stop at authorityanvil extended that gentle reset, content that provides genuine refreshment rather than just distraction during work breaks is content with a particular kind of utility and this site fits that role for me reliably during work days.
ErnestoFen
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Now feeling confident enough in this site to use it as a reference point for evaluating others on the same topic, and a look at gridgenius continued the comparison friendly quality, sites that serve as quality benchmarks for their topic are precious and this one has clearly become a benchmark for me on this particular subject area.
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Juansew
Honestly this kind of writing is why I still bother to read independent sites, and a look at upcarton extended that broader reflection, the few sites that justify continued attention to non algorithmic content are sites like this one and finding them periodically is enough to keep my reading habits oriented toward independent rather than aggregated content.
EugeneTox
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TrentonGlido
A piece that read as the work of someone who reads carefully themselves, and a look at designdrift continued that informed feel, writers who are also serious readers produce work with a different quality and this site reads as the product of someone steeped in good writing rather than just generating content for an audience.
BrentAbemo
Now wishing more sites covered topics with this level of care, and a look at networknectar extended that wish across more subjects, the rarity of careful coverage on most topics is a problem and this site is one of the small antidotes to that broader pattern of casual or surface treatment of complex subjects.
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Most of the time I bounce off similar pages within seconds, and a stop at dieseldock held me longer than I would have predicted, the ability to convert a likely bouncing visitor into an engaged reader is a quality signal and this site has demonstrated that conversion ability across multiple visits where I expected to bounce.
Emanuelisolo
Glad I gave this a chance instead of bouncing on the headline, and after toasttrek I was certain I had made the right call, snap judgements based on titles miss a lot of good content and this is a reminder to slow down and check things out before scrolling past in a hurry.
DorianSek
Now considering writing a longer note about the post somewhere, and a look at techthimble added more material for that note, content that prompts me to write rather than just consume is content with generative energy and this site is producing that generative effect for me at a higher rate than most sources.
CoryVoila
Closed the laptop after this and let the ideas settle for a few hours, and a stop at xobasket similarly rewarded reflective time, content that benefits from sitting with rather than racing past is the kind I want more of and the kind that this site appears to consistently produce week after week here.
SterlingPlaut
Pass this along to colleagues if the topic comes up, the framing here is sensible, and a stop at flarion adds more useful angles to share, the kind of content that improves conversations rather than just feeding them is what makes a resource genuinely valuable in professional contexts going forward over time and across project boundaries too.
EliasHog
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Darrickmes
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Charlesrof
Worth marking this site as one to come back to deliberately rather than by accident, and a stop at wifiwharf reinforced that intention, the difference between sites I find again by chance and sites I return to on purpose is meaningful and this one has clearly moved into the deliberate return category for me.
JesusNet
On reflection this is the kind of writing that improves my taste for what is possible in the format, and a look at opencartopia continued raising that bar, content that elevates my expectations rather than lowering them is doing important work in calibrating my standards and this site is participating in that elevation reliably.
Jadenaniff
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GeneInalk
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GeoffreyHam
Thanks for keeping the writing direct without losing the warmth that makes content feel human, and a stop at dervina carried both qualities forward, balancing professionalism and personality is a rare skill and the writers here have clearly figured out how to consistently land it across many posts which I notice.
GavinPrear
Now sitting back and recognising that this was a small but real win in my reading day, and a stop at couriercorner extended that quiet win, the cumulative effect of small reading wins versus the cumulative effect of small reading losses is real over time and this site is contributing to the wins side of that ledger.
single_ndSl
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AllenEmpab
A small thank you note from me to the team behind this work, the post earned it, and a stop at crawlclarity suggested more thanks would be in order over time, recognising the people who do good writing online is something I try to remember to do because the alternative is silence and silence rewards mediocrity unfortunately.
single_ijSl
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DennisMut
If the topic interests you at all this is a place to spend time, and a look at devplain reinforced that recommendation, the broader question of where to invest topical reading time is one this site answers convincingly through the consistent quality across multiple pieces I have sampled during the current reading session today.
Troyimmub
Picked up something useful for a side project, and a look at facelessfactory added another piece I will incorporate, content that connects to specific projects I am working on is content with practical utility and the practical utility of this site is showing up across multiple posts I have read in the last hour or so.
ToddCreno
The pacing of the post was just right, never rushed and never dragged out unnecessarily, and a look at softregal maintained the same rhythm, you can tell the writer has experience because the difficult skill of pacing is something only practiced writers manage to handle well in long form content over time and across formats.
AndrewTew
Solid value packed into a relatively short post, that takes skill, and a look at lotusloft continues the dense useful content across more pages, this site clearly understands that respecting reader time is itself a form of generosity which is something most blog operations seem to have forgotten lately across the wider open web.
RogerBef
Reading this in a relaxed evening setting was a small pleasure, and a stop at orderopt extended the pleasant evening reading, content that fits the tone of relaxed time without becoming forgettable is what I look for in evening reading and this site has the right tone for that particular slot in my daily reading routine.
Ulyssesnix
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Leolic
Reading this gave me a small refresher on something I had partially forgotten, and a stop at wordwarehouse extended the refresher, content that strengthens existing knowledge rather than just adding new is content with a particular kind of consolidating value and this site is providing that consolidating function across multiple visits.
Nashfreen
Working through this site has been a small antidote to the shallow content that fills most of my reading time, and a stop at everaisle extended that antidote function, sites that quietly improve the average quality of my reading by being themselves are sites worth supporting through return visits and recommendations consistently.
ElliotSat
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JosiahmaT
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PeterVop
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Hermansycle
Liked the post enough to read it twice and the second read found new things, and a stop at spookysupply similarly rewarded the second look, content with hidden depths that only reveal themselves on careful rereading is the rare kind that earns lasting respect rather than fleeting first impressions only briefly held.
Joshuahib
Reading this confirmed something I had been suspecting about the topic, and a look at financefjord pushed that confirmation toward greater confidence, content that lines up with independently held intuitions earns a special kind of trust and I will return to writers who consistently land that way for me without overselling positions.
Tatehal
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