There has been some bad press lately about whether or not recycled plastics actually make it into the recycled waste cycle. Whenever a batch of plastics become hopelessly contaminated with dirty or off-type plastics, it will end up in a landfill rather than being reborn as a recycled product.

That said, more often than not, plastics really do get recycled. Those items with the #2 designation according to the Resin Identification numbering system are the most widely accepted. Such plastics include the most commonly used types of soda pop or water bottles. Though plastics tend to pay a far lower rate per ton than other types of recyclables, often the price paid for other recycled materials is sufficient to subsidize plastics.

The greater concern is probably the practice of sending plastic for recycling on huge journeys to Asia, at high fuel and carbon costs. This also bites into the overall energetic savings of recycling plastics.

In the 1970’s plastic replaced glass due to the petroleum crisis and the expense of glass, also there’s no movement in glass, so breaks easily. Throughout the mid 20th century there was nothing wrong with plastic, but now that isn’t the case.

Plastic releases a huge amount of toxic substances when incinerated if there’s no exhaust control which adds to soil and air pollution.

Now some plastics are known to cause problems, like baby feed bottles and containers, so are now being replaced by glass.