GOOD: “When you put your plastic cup into the recycling bin, you probably think it’s headed to a nearby facility where it’ll be broken down and then turned into another cup which you will eventually put into the recycling bin. But the process of recycling isn’t as clean as we thought. Only 9.1% of plastics in the U.S. are recycled, and our recycling infrastructure is overwhelmed by that amount. Some recyclable plastic is sent to our landfills, while other recyclable plastic – one million tons, to be exact – are sent overseas. Yes, we’re exporting trash.

In 2019, Waste Management, the U.S.’s largest trash hauler, said it sent almost one-quarter of its plastic recyclables overseas. Now, they’ve ended the practice, altogether. “In response to concerns about plastic in the environment, Waste Management is not shipping plastics collected on its residential recycling routes and processed in its single stream material recovery facilities to locations outside North America. The company is working to help establish responsible domestic markets for recycling and beneficial use of these materials,” Waste Management said in a statement…”