Most plastics aren't recyclable. I buy plastic because it's convenient. Most of us aren't overly emotional about the ocean, environment, etc. It's a free country. The more you push your views on others (reduce your plastic, etc.) the more it leads to resentment. And you'll never "get it."

We used to have crates to put the different recyclables in and they were taken away separately. Then the system changed and we were told to dump them altogether. This was supposedly progress.

Now I find that we can buy all sorts of things made from recyclables from shoes, to toilet paper! It only works if we are buying the recycled items!

Then why is Palo Alto/Greenwaste telling us to put film plastic in yet ANOTHER plastic bag and put it in the recycling bin? Somebody from P.A. government or Greenwaste needs to get out in front of this and be honest with Palo Alto Utilities about what happens to plastic waste when they cart it away.

Un-recyclable plastics are best dealt with by sending them to 3rd world countries in Eastern Asia. The inhabitants there recycle them even further to suit their needs. Some even use them as building materials for homes.

Why not continually sending these empty plastics to regions where they are most needed and appreciated?

I always felt good about placing all the approved plastic in the blue bin but years ago I learned that Brown/ Newsom closed many of the recycling centers as they were spending money on their narrative projects and it is expensive to process plastic into new products. You also know what happens to solar panels, wind turbines, EV car batteries when no longer useful.

Almost everything we place in the blue bin goes into a garbage dump either in the US or in Asia

At this point, plastic has become an overwhelming global crisis. It will take both governmental and corporate will to change our habit of producing plastic wrapping for much of what we purchase. Covid complicated the problem because many goods, especially foodstuffs, came to be wrapped individually rather than in bulk. Everyone I know tries to recycle responsibly, but there is simply too much plastic produced. We are choking the oceans, killing animals and drowning our beautiful blue planet in plastic for the sake of convenience. It's a shame.

Jennifer, As you and your kids and grandkids ingest the well-studied increasing amounts of microplastics in your food and water, over time you or someone you love may get very sick. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen, but if it does, maybe you will care more then.

You're right. It's a free country. We have the freedom to vote for electeds who will protect our food and water supplies from being poisoned by some (not all) corporate leaders who prioritize their convenience over our collective safety.

I'm reducing the plastics I buy wherever I can. It's just not that hard. If everyone does their fair share...

[Portion removed.] Your plastic consumption is your business, and I expect others to grant me the same courtesy. We're both mature adults. Have a nice day...

@MT My understanding is that the plastic in those floating trash zones in the ocean and so forth goes into the water not from the US, but on the shores/waste streams of less-developed countries around the world.

We've got plenty of room for landfills in our own country, and plastics are pretty inert, so maybe going back to the days of only recycling a limited set of materials that have a ready re-use market is the way to go.

I prefer recyclable glass bottles but they are too heavy especially when filled with liquids.

Plastic is the way to go in most instances and the empties are then shipped overseas to countries where they are appreciated.

Thank you for this clear, helpful opinion piece!

How about focusing on recycling those things that CAN be recycled!

Get clarity - no more games from City of Palo Alto and it’s garbage and recycling collection vendor.
Elaborate schemes that are fake make me disillusioned.

- Let’s recycle ALL aluminum, clean paper and whatever else that CAN be easily collected, sorted, sold and recycled.

- Let’s focus also on 100% compliance with compostables recycling. Clarify exactly what goes into the “yard waste” bin. I mean, I know about this, but I assume newcomers and some others do not. Practices vary widely.

Let’s standardize this practice across the county, then the state. Let’s try to be practical and realistic and clear so people comply.

A messy jumble does no good, we can’t keep doing this virtue-signaling sorting, rinsing (of non recyclables pretend recyclable items), with some misunderstanding or deliberately wrecking bins or truckloads by putting in wet or spoiled or “incorrect” items..

Separately work on recycling research, plastics use reduction, education.

All the plastic in our oceans and along our highways etc. is because it wasn't disposed of properly. Forget about recycling, don't litter and put all plastic in a landfill.

For the uninformed...recycled plastic (PET) containers are melted down to make fleece fabric for various brands of outer sportswear (i.e. Patagonia, North Face etc.).

We need these disposable and recyclable plastics to continue the mass production of outer sportswear and as others have noted, the surplus plastic recyclable tonnage can simply be shipped to 3rd world countries where environmental regulations are far more lax than in the United States.

It is far more important to meet the consumer needs of American citizens first as any surplus PET can be easily shipped to regions where the inhabitants either don't care about their environment or welcome the gift.

Concurring with Mr. Dennison...just send the surplus plastics to overseas 3rd world countries who are grateful for these benevolent deliveries.

Wait a minute! We live on a planet called Earth. Shipping our plastic to 3rd world countries does nothing to help our shared planet. Stop manufacturing plastic is a start.

@KJH...look around. It is far too late and far too impractical to end the use and manufacturing of plastics.

So as Gary Dennison noted, make fleece out of recyclable plastics and as others have mentioned, simply continue sending the surplus to 3rd world countries where the scrap plastic is not only welcomed but can also be used for housing material and other practical applications.

The key is to send this stuff to places that have minimal environmental concerns and ordinances.

@Jeff Wiggins. OK. Got it. I agree.

Another option would be to create a plastics landfill somewhere in the Nevada desert.

Except for Clark County (Las Vegas), Douglas County (Minden), and Washoe County (Reno), there's not much going on in Nevada and the desert was once a testing site for nuclear weapons.

This would also save the cost of shipping recyclable plastic across the ocean to underdeveloped Pacific Rim countries...their loss.

The only way to curtail or eliminate the plethora of recyclable plastic containers is to replace them all with aluminum and offer CA recycling redemptions.

It is also time to consider using less plastic in our everyday lives including appliances, personal electronics, and automobile components that are also constructed of plastics.