John,

We all try our best to recycle, filling up bins with yogurt containers, bottles and other plastics each week.

But despite our best efforts, only about 9% of plastic ever gets recycled.1

How can it be that we put so much effort into recycling, but so little gets recycled? The simple answer -- recycling just isn't enough to fix our plastic waste problem.

Don't be fooled by the often-inaccurate "chasing arrows" symbol: Many types of plastic aren't recyclable at all.

The number written on the plastic can give you some information about whether the product is recyclable. Plastics labeled "1" or "2" are usually recyclable, but numbers 3 through 7, which includes things like plastic bags, polystyrene foam and PVC, are usually not accepted in curbside recycling.2

And even the kinds of plastics that can be recycled have serious limitations. You might be able to recycle, say, a plastic milk jug. But if you do, it most likely will not be turned into another milk jug. That's because plastic's quality degrades every time it's processed, so it usually gets turned into a lower quality product that can't be recycled -- we call that downcycling.3

In other words, recycling plastic is, at best, a way to delay waste.

Whether it's recycled once or twice or never, most plastic will eventually end up in a landfill, or littering our neighborhoods and waterways, where it will persist for centuries. Over those centuries, the plastic will break down into smaller and smaller microplastics, which can end up our waterways, soil and air.4

Recycling plastic is better than not recycling it. But there's a reason why "reduce" is listed first in "reduce, reuse, recycle." Companies should reduce plastic by using alternatives like paper, glass and other more easily recycled or compostable materials.

Or, better yet, they should reduce single-use plastics through reuse and refill and ditch single-use items altogether. And, of course, they should only label a product as recyclable if it's actually being recycled.

It's good to recycle a used plastic bottle. But it's even better to never produce and consume that plastic bottle in the first place.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

PS: You can help us reduce plastic waste and pollution by donating today.

1. Winston Choi-Schagrin, Hiroko Tabuchi, and Rinee Shah, "Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing," The New York Times, April 21, 2022.
2. Winston Choi-Schagrin, Hiroko Tabuchi, and Rinee Shah, "Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing," The New York Times, April 21, 2022.
3. Winston Choi-Schagrin, Hiroko Tabuchi, and Rinee Shah, "Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing," The New York Times, April 21, 2022.
4. Winston Choi-Schagrin, Hiroko Tabuchi, and Rinee Shah, "Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing," The New York Times, April 21, 2022.

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