It’s time to get a reality check about recycling. There’s nothing wrong about it but it’s not the cure all to the plastic problem and in fact, most plastic ends up in landfills or burnt, not made into new products. In 2020, people should strive to purchase less plastic rather than counting on recycling to fix everything.

A lot of plastic can’t be recycled. A lot of what gets tossed in the bin to be made anew cannot actually be given a new life. It ends up in the trash. PS, plastic shopping bags aren’t recyclable at all. Although the individual may feel they have done their part, once it leaves the curb, it just ends up in a landfill.

So what can you do? Stop buying plastic when you can. It’s hard because so much of what we consume has plastic but moving towards bulk shopping or buying brands that use other types of packing instead will help. Still try to recycle what you can but the key to getting over plastic is to reduce.