Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing.

Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing. Trash Drag each item where you think it belongs Milk jug Peanut butter jar Water bottle Shampoo bottle Snack bag Diaper Plastic bag Bubble mailer Foam cup Single-use utensil Yogurt cup Takeout container Berry box Recycling The universal symbol for recycling, known as the “chasing arrows” logo, is stamped on so many things. “We don’t recycle enough plastic, plain and simple,” said Patrick Krieger, vice president of sustainability at the Plastics Industry Association. To make things worse, people often “wish-cycle,” a type of aspirational recycling where people optimistically throw things into the bin that don’t belong there. These laws are important because “there’s only so much that you can do, as an individual, in an American grocery store” to make choices that would reduce plastic waste, since many products aren’t recyclable, said Judith Enck, a former E.P.A.