Review the advice Roland Geyer gives in the sidebar “What You Can Do.” Do you think most readers will follow this advice? Why or why not? Open withBarrie Fanton Universal Images Group/NewscomSorting plastic bottles to be recycled in Wellsville, New YorkOf the seven types of plastic that people put into recycling bins, five categories almost never get recycled (see "What That Recycling Symbol Means (and Doesn't Mean)" below). In fact, about 8.5 percent of discarded plastic in the U.S. went through the recycling process in 2018, the latest year for which figures are available, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.).So why have we all been taught to discard our used plastic into blue recycling bins, when most of that waste is going to landfills? Experts say the plastics industry has done a great job marketing recycling as an easy way to be environmentally conscious. The industry wants consumers to think they can use plastic products without doing damage to the planet. The truth is, most recycling facilities aren't sophisticated enough to process many common plastics, even if you find the ubiquitous"chasing arrows" sign on the package.New! All plasticanable ouO uth About Recycling.dooxOpen with -The Truth About RecyclingWhat really happens to all the plastic Americans toss into blue bins?FEBRUARY 15, 2021By Chrisanne GriséImagine this scene: You finish a bottle of water and make sure to toss it into the recycling bin, because you know how harmful plastic can be to the environment. By keeping the bottle out of the garbage, you feel confident that you've helped protect the planet. You give yourself a mental pat on the back for taking this small but necessary step.There's just one problem: A huge portion of the stuff that Americans think is getting recycled is actually going to landfills with the rest of the trash. In other words, the vast majority of supermarket containers, takeout boxes, and plastic silverware that you and your family diligently sort to get reused in some fashion likely ends up buried in mountains of garbage."Recyclable is possibly the most meaningless word," says Roland Geyer, a professor of environmental science at the University of California at Santa Barbara."Much of the activities surrounding plastic recycling...generate little to no environmental benefit."1 / 10Q +Page

The three "R's" – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – are all about reducing the amount of waste we make,…

The Truth About Recycling What really happens to all the plastic Americans toss into blue bins? FEBRUARY 15, 2021 By Chrisanne Grisé Imagine this scene: You finish a bottle of water and make sure to toss it into the recycling bin, ause you know how harmful plastic can be to the environment. By keeping the bottle out of the bage, you feel confident that you've helped protect the planet. You give yourself a mental pat a e back for taking this small but necessary step. There's just one problem: A huge portion of the stuff that Americans think is getting recycled is ually going to landfills with the rest of the trash. In other words, the vast majority of supermark

The Truth About Recycling What really happens to all the plastic Americans toss into blue bins? FEBRUARY 15, 2021 By Chrisanne Grisé Imagine this scene: You finish a bottle of water and make sure to toss it into the recycling bin, ause you know how harmful plastic can be to the environment. By keeping the bottle out of the bage, you feel confident that you've helped protect the planet. You give yourself a mental pat a e back for taking this small but necessary step. There's just one problem: A huge portion of the stuff that Americans think is getting recycled is ually going to landfills with the rest of the trash. In other words, the vast majority of supermark