Plastic Pollution | Recycling ·
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In recognition of Plastic Free July, the Alliance of Mission-Based Recyclers hosted “Chasing Arrows: The Truth About Recycling – A Plastic Free July Watch Party & Panel Discussion.”
We watched “Chasing Arrows: The Truth About Recycling” a short film produced in partnership with the Emmy Award-winning Peak Plastic Foundation that outlines how the plastics industry is trashing recycling with non-recyclable plastics. It also exposes the recycling myths industry promotes, such as blaming the recycling system and consumers for plastic pollution.
After the film, recycling experts from Eureka Recycling, Eco-Cycle, Ecology Center, and Recycle Ann Arbor delved into the current zero-waste landscape and shared valuable insights from their communities.
View our recording of the event below.
We received more than 100 excellent questions about recycling infrastructure and how to address the plastic pollution crisis. Here are some resources for further information.
→Many attendees requested a copy of the Q&A from the event, which can be found here.
→If you have a question about how materials are sorted at a recycling facility, check out our virtual tour of a recycling facility.
→ If you have a question about where plastics end up after leaving the recycling facility, check our article, “Are My Plastics Really Being Recycled? When the Answer is Yes, Sometimes, and Never.”
→ If you have questions about your local recycling program, contact them. As we discussed during the event, all recycling is local. Geography, markets, and types of sorting equipment at the MRF all affect what is recyclable.
→ If you are already plastic-free (or darn near) in your everyday life and want to know what else you can do to address plastic pollution, contact your elected officials. Let them know you’d urgently like to see plastic pollution addressed through local, state, and federal policy.
We also mentioned several resources during the event, which are included below.
Resources:
Eco-Living Guide: How to Quit Plastic
Eco-Cycle’s Quick Guide to Plastics
The US Needs EPR for Packaging and Paper
If you have any additional questions, please email us at [email protected].