After Years of Recycling and Bag Bans, America’s Plastic Problem Is Getting Worse

Plastic recycling in the United States faces a serious conundrum. For decades, American homes and businesses have dutifully placed their used polymer wares in special bins to be hauled away and broken down by professionals.  Mountains of landfill-bound plastic being recycled is still considered a cornerstone of ethical waste management. Jumping on the bandwagon, 12 U.S. states have bans on single-use plastic bags and consumers have spent years bringing reusable shopping bags to stores. Yet after decades of recycling, bag bans, and “reduce, reuse” campaigns, America’s plastic waste problem is worse than ever. The United States is the number two plastic waste producer in the world after China. Anywhere from 20 million to 40 million metric tons of plastic waste is being produced per year in the United States; but only 5 percent is actually getting recycled, according to a Greenpeace report. ...