Day: September 25, 2020

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Recycling plastic is probably not worth it, according to MIT expert – Insider

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Recycling plastic is probably not worth it, according to MIT expert – Insider

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said something similar during CNN's climate town hall, pointing out that minor tweaks to our lifestyles often obscure larger global pollution issues.

"Understand — this is exactly what the fossil-fuel industry hopes we're all talking about," Warren said. "They want to be able to stir up a lot of controversy around your light bulbs, around your straws, and around your cheeseburgers, when 70% of the pollution — of the carbon that we're throwing into the air — comes from three industries."

Those three industries she's referring to are better thought of as "activities," as PolitiFact said after the debate, and they are transportation, electricity, and industry.

How much plastic actually gets recycled? | Live Science

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How much plastic actually gets recycled? | Live Science

That said, is recycling worth it? For bottles labeled "1" or "2", the answer is "yes," Pochiro said. There's also a growing market for plastics labeled "5," a flexible plastic that includes mini-yogurt containers. An increasing percentage of fives are actually getting recycled. For other numbers, it's important to check the restrictions of your local recycling facility, Pochiro said.

Hocevar's answer was simpler: a resounding "no" on numbers 3, 4, 6 and 7. These plastics just gunk up an already strained recycling system, he said.οΏ½