The Recycling Lie

Last month I deleted my recycling bin and stopped sorting my trash entirely.

Here's why. I discovered that only nine percent of plastic ever produced has actually

been recycled. Nine percent. The rest sits in landfills or oceans.

We just feel good about our blue bins. I spent years rinsing containers,

removing labels, feeling like I was saving the planet. Then I learned

my city ships most recyclables to facilities that just burn them. The carbon footprint

from transporting my sorted waste actually exceeded any benefit. We've been sold a lie:

individual recycling doesn't fix systemic problems. Corporations produce 100 times more waste than households.