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

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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 with
Barrie Fanton Universal Images Group/Newscom
Sorting plastic bottles to be recycled in Wellsville, New York
Of the seven types of plastic that people put into recycling bins, five categories almost never get re
cycled (see "What That Recycling Symbol Means (and Doesn't Mean)" below). In fact, about 8.5 p
ercent of discarded plastic in the U.S. went through the recycling process in 2018, the latest year f
or 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 t
hat waste is going to landfills? Experts say the plastics industry has done a great job marketing rec
ycling as an easy way to be environmentally conscious. The industry wants consumers to think the
y can use plastic products without doing damage to the planet. The truth is, most recycling facilitie
s aren't sophisticated enough to process many common plastics, even if you find the ubiquitous"
chasing arrows" sign on the package.
New! All plastic
anable ouO
Transcribed Image Text:Open with Barrie Fanton Universal Images Group/Newscom Sorting plastic bottles to be recycled in Wellsville, New York Of the seven types of plastic that people put into recycling bins, five categories almost never get re cycled (see "What That Recycling Symbol Means (and Doesn't Mean)" below). In fact, about 8.5 p ercent of discarded plastic in the U.S. went through the recycling process in 2018, the latest year f or 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 t hat waste is going to landfills? Experts say the plastics industry has done a great job marketing rec ycling as an easy way to be environmentally conscious. The industry wants consumers to think the y can use plastic products without doing damage to the planet. The truth is, most recycling facilitie s aren't sophisticated enough to process many common plastics, even if you find the ubiquitous" chasing arrows" sign on the package. New! All plastic anable ouO
uth About Recycling.doox
Open with -
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, bec
ause you know how harmful plastic can be to the environment. By keeping the bottle out of the gar
bage, you feel confident that you've helped protect the planet. You give yourself a mental pat on th
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 act
ually going to landfills with the rest of the trash. In other words, the vast majority of supermarket co
ntainers, takeout boxes, and plastic silverware that you and your family diligently sort to get reus
ed in some fashion likely ends up buried in mountains of garbage.
"Recyclable is possibly the most meaningless word," says Roland Geyer, a professor of environme
ntal science at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
"Much of the activities surrounding plastic recycling...generate little to no environmental benefit."
1 / 10
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Transcribed Image Text:uth About Recycling.doox Open with - 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, bec ause you know how harmful plastic can be to the environment. By keeping the bottle out of the gar bage, you feel confident that you've helped protect the planet. You give yourself a mental pat on th 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 act ually going to landfills with the rest of the trash. In other words, the vast majority of supermarket co ntainers, takeout boxes, and plastic silverware that you and your family diligently sort to get reus ed in some fashion likely ends up buried in mountains of garbage. "Recyclable is possibly the most meaningless word," says Roland Geyer, a professor of environme ntal science at the University of California at Santa Barbara. "Much of the activities surrounding plastic recycling...generate little to no environmental benefit." 1 / 10 Q + Page
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