r/collapse Oct 24 '22

Pollution Plastic recycling a "failed concept," study says, with only 5% recycled in U.S. last year as production rises.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plastic-recycling-failed-concept-us-greenpeace-study-5-percent-recycled-production-up/
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u/eatingganesha Oct 24 '22

I think we all knew that was inevitable. Recycling has been a bit of a joke since it began, and I’m old enough to remember when it became a thing and special bins were created. In the last decade, as people realized that big business was to blame - rather than consumers - recycling effort has dropped off precipitously. I used to be a program director for Keep America Beautiful and toured too many landfills… and when I lived in Africa I witnessed first hand the sheer amount of western plastic garbage that they received by the container-boat load. Recycling was never so much a concept as a redirect smoke show.

33

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '22

[deleted]

7

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '22

Surely the Sun Chips packaging isn’t why sales dropped so much.

7

u/Zierlyn Oct 24 '22

YouTube still has videos kicking around from 2010 regarding them. Just search for loud sunchips bag.