The announcement made that plastic would no longer be recycled here in Boundary County drove me to read up more on plastic recycling in the United States at large. From what I understand for the recycling process to be possible much labor is involved in making sure the right plastic items are sorted out. So they say it is more cost effective to produce plastic than to recycle.
Plastic cannot be recycled unlimited times either. I think the best way to solve this recycling problem is to reduce plastic production and really limit the use of single-use plastics. It would be nice to not have to use plastic altogether because I read that a few years back only about 5% of the plastic in the U.S. is being recycled (Related article: https://www.ecowatch.com/global-plastic-recycling-rate.html). Think about how much of it goes to the landfill and just sits there for years! Burning plastic is one solution but contributes to air pollution. So what about using composable and or biodegradable bags? While these bags are made of plant-based materials and can decompost in the right environment, they do not readily compost in the landfill. Here is a link to an educational article about this: https://enviroliteracy.org/do-compostable-bags-break-down-in-landfills/
So what am I going to do about this problem? I will have to find a different way to package the goods I sell and try to use waste papers to line my trash bins to absorb the moisture instead of using plastic trash can liners. The way we currently live as a society at large does pollute the land and harm the other creatures on earth…and ourselves. Many of us believe in the Creator’s mandate to take care of the land and the creatures He has made. There are lots of problems to solve but in terms of this plastic problem, hopefully we can work together towards cutting our dependence on the use of it. It does seem like a daunting task and would be possible with everyone’s cooperation.
*Update: After trying only using paper bags as trash can liners, I have noticed that it creates a more smelly trash bin outside that could attract critters at my current rental. So. I have gone back to using plastic liners. Sigh~. I guess reducing the use of plastic in general and reusing it when possible might be the best solution for me for now.