Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work

Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to reduce the amount of waste I produced and was an avid recycler. Though this story from the Atlantic was a disappointment and a wake up call, deep down I always knew recycling wasn’t going to have a significant impact on the world. This story only proves further how personal responsibility is no substitute for radical collective action and corporate obligation.

Despite this, I will continue to recycle in order to reduce the amount waste going directly to my city dump, and because there are still other items like aluminum and paper that can be recycled. At the same time, I will focus on reducing the amount of plastic I consume, which also means simply buying less things and being more intentional about what I do buy and consume.

“Reduce” is the more effective R of the three to limit the amount of plastic and waste that ends up in our landfills, our waterways, and the ocean, and there is a reason why it isn’t promoted as much as recycling is. Like everything in our late-stage capitalist world, it comes down to maximizing profits above all. If we want to have a beautiful planet to keep this human project going, we are going to have to change that mindset, and expect more of the extremely wealthy companies that attempt to offload their responsibility on to us.