The average American goes through over 250 pounds of plastic waste yearly. Much of this waste comes from packaging.
We know that plastic is harmful to the environment. Some would take hundreds of years before decomposing, while others don’t decompose at all. This is why we do our best in recycling plastic, so that we can minimize the plastic waste. However, not all plastic is recyclable. This begs the question: which plastic is recyclable and which is not?
Fortunately, NPR looks into the matter to help us identify which is which. Why don’t you check it out?
(Image Credit: stux/ Pixabay)
I look at recycling the same way I do smoking cigarettes. If 50 people smoke cigarettes and 1 stops, its no indication of whether the 49 will stop. Likewise, it's no indication of how many more will start up smoking in the future. Obviously, if everyone magically stopped smoking today, all over the world, it would be great. But as a person who believes heavily in determinism (and not so much in free will), I know this isn't how things work. So what I'm saying is, yes recycling is good, and you definitely get "good feelings" personally from doing it. Just know that you'll never get everyone on board, and people will never universally agree on whether it's good or not. Keep in mind that India and China have wayyyyyyyyyy more people than America. If they don't get strict on pollution, it's huge, regardless of whether or not you being your own organic burlap sacks to Wholefoods or not.
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Who cares? Most of the plastics sent in for recycling ended up being shipped to Asia, where it was burned or dumped in a landfill, or worse. Now, American recycling doesn't even ship it overseas anymore. https://www.wired.com/story/since-chinas-ban-recycling-in-the-us-has-gone-up-in-flames/?verso=true
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