Plastic recycling rates have declined, the industry pushed for recycling as a solution but never ensured that it actually would work, according to a report by Greenpeace USA.
In 2021, the study found that only 5% or 2.4 million tons out of 51 million tons of plastic waste were recycled in the US.
Only two out of seven types of plastic are widely accepted, which are PET and HDPE recycled at 20.9% and 10.3% respectively, while the others are less than 5%.
In 2014, the plastic recycling rate peaked at 10%, but has since decreased, especially since China stopped importing plastic waster from the West in 2018.
Recycling of plastics has failed because it is hard to collect and sort, it exposes workers to toxic chemicals, and is very expensive.
“New plastic directly competes with recycled plastic, and it’s far cheaper to produce and of higher quality,” according to the report.
