Recycling plastic is a total bust, industry critics say
Irina Ivanova - 3h ago
Americans' use of plastic boomed during the pandemic, including mountains of single-use items such as takeout containers, plastic bags and, of course, face masks. At the same time, we're recycling less of this waste than in the past, according to a pair of recent studies.
Even before the health crisis, only 5% of plastic made in the U.S. was recycled in 2019 — less than the amount of plastic that was burned that year, scientists with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory wrote in April.
"It is dismally low," said Judith Enck, president of advocacy group Beyond Plastics of the nation's recycling rate.
Beyond Plastics and The Last Beach Cleanup recently examined government data from the Environmental Protection Agency and on U.S. exports to come up with a recycling estimate. Their report found that, similar to the NREL's study, only between 5% and 6% of plastic made in the U.S. is recycled.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/recycling-plastic-is-a-total-bust-industry-critics-say/ar-AAX9QlH?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=6c4f2d848eab44dcb9239e4bab80bf0c
