It is worth noting that other types of materials are regularly recycled fairly well
For instance, paper and carboard (as long as it’s without food grease) work well
Also worth noting that #1 and #2 plastics are usually recycled. #3 and above are typically not economically viable and thus not recycled. They have higher cost and produce lower quality plastics after recyling
There was a time when China had such high raw demand for plastics that they would recycle large amounts of the higher number plastics from other countries. They no longer do so
These distinctions are typically not expressed to people very well. In any case, recycling is supposed to be the thing that comes after trying to reduce waste and reuse waste. It’s not a magical bullet, but it can help with the things you can’t easily reduce or reuse. Somehow it became the focal point of everything and the other two got lost
You lose a bit of it every time you recycle, turned into non-recyclable compounds.
You will lose half of it in half a dozen iterations or so. What wouldn’t be a big deal if so much of it wasn’t single-use, but it is.
Also, aluminum is more polluting to make than most plastics. It may compensate for that with the easiness of recycling or not, depends on lots of details.
Don’t look too much into “dolphin-safe” tuna.
Regardless of whoever came up with the idea, recycling does help and you should do it:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230317-how-recycling-can-help-the-climate-and-other-facts
It may not save the planet on its own, but it is part of the solution.
Both can be true, don’t pressure yourself. Just do what you can if you feel like it and vote for people who do too
Plastic may be so, but glass recycling has been a thing for decades (depending on where you are), aliminium recycling is all well, same for paper (if grease free) There’s also wooden alternatives for a lot of plastic/silicon stuff, and wood can be reused/burned/mulched.
So in a way it IS your responsibility - to give up plastic
Take an inventory of plastic shit in your life. It’s a lot. I don’t think I could cut it out completely. I’m having a hard time imagining zero plastic grocery shopping. It’s possible to be sure, but fucking everything comes in plastic.
Even things that don’t use plastic packaging have plastics in their packaging - airtight seals on the inside of jar lids and the coating on the inside of soup cans come to mind. Can definitely reduce plastic consumption but I don’t think going plastic free is possible unless you’re raising your own food and the seeds/feed also come in plastic free packaging…
