I didn't have a clue how bad the problem is until my daughter hinted that reduce our use of plastic any way we can.

 Relative to our past  usage, we are doing well at reducing our plastic footprint.. There is a lot of room for improvement here, and seeking to expand plastic reduction is challenging, almost like a game that we want to win.

 Not meaning to point fingers or take sides, I am interested in your thoughts and ideas in regard to plastic in our world.

In my humble opinion plastic among other throw away items such as beverage containers and glass are a problem. The best resource we have found is to recycle everything we can, burn items that can be burned and all food waste goes into the garbage bins which I take to the landfill every couple of months or so. We double bag the food waste and keep the containers out of the heat when that happens here in Western Oregon (not often). Once we started recycling I was amazed at how much waste we generated and frankly feel like we are doing what we can for the environment. Just our way and others may very well have found better solutions.

We are fortunate here in Spokane, we have a waste to energy facility to avoid extra pressure on landfills.

Environment is kind of one of those topics that "I" don't want to comment on because "I" will be wrong.

Full disclosure= I make linerboard.

Plastic?
If you make it you should be required to take it back as recyclable product to make into new product. But its all about $$$$ so that's not going to happen. Just got that reminder in mail that I cant recycle most plastics anymore because China wont take it.

Paper/cardboard?
Then again same mailing says don't recycle your "dirty" pizza boxes. WHAT?? I will take that truck load of dirty boxes all day long.

On garbage day I put cans out and my garbage can has 1/2 bag from kitchen in it and my recycle can is full. But that has changed if you follow the new rules. I know have 2 full bags in garbage can and 1/4 full recycle can....One day it is recyclable the next it is not..

Again topic of environment is like trying to find out if Eggs are good for your health or not....

Long time ago if you cut a tree down and it slid down the hill into a Oregon river ODFW would get mad and make you remove it...now trees are good for fish??? I could have told them that when I was young kid helping my friends pull trees from river.

Mudflap

We recycle as mush as we can.

My opinions–

I'm appalled at the amount of trash in the environment.  Most of it is from people who don't care.  They will probably only do things that are somehow rewarded.  My neighbor won't recycle because he thinks it's too much trouble, but he's tight with a dollar.  (I have to surreptitiously spray his yard for dandelions.)  So he needs a financial incentive to change his recycling habits.  That may work on the majority of polluters.

We may be able to slow the growth of plastic in the environment when it somehow affects people's  pocketbooks.  Deposits on glass bottles and aluminum cans used to be effective.  I heard that California legislated against plastic bags.  Whatever the cure, not complying will have to "sting" a bit to be effective.  And it will need to be enforced in all countries.

Just ask Google to show you plastic in the environment!   

I try to recycle when I can, but the government seems to keep getting in the way (it's what they do after all).

A while back, Seattle tried to pass a law whereby they could inspect your garbage for misuses of recycling. It went nowhere. Seattle loves to try that kind of stuff.

The recycle dumpster at my condo is often packed to the point that my trash has to go elsewhere. The general dumpster is the receptacle of choice. Obviously, these are HOA issues. BUT... if I use the 'recycle' bin, I'm required to remove all labels from plastic and glass. Sorry. That's just not going to happen.

The single biggest destroyer of plastic is sunlight. So why not build some plastic only refuse centers in the middle of some forgotten desert? Oh, wait... those are environmentally protected areas. Ya can't have it both ways. Pick one please.

The truly ironic part in my area is the tree huggers that seem to be leading the crusade in 'saving our planet'. They slap their plastic paddle boats on the roofs of their plastic filled SUV's (filled with evil oil sucked outta the ground) and drive x miles to the waterfront. Then they proceed to protest on the water about 'big oil' destroying the environment and how humans are causing global climate issues. It would be funny were it not so sad.

I try. I think most of us do. Seems that this should be easier than it is.

No.

I don't sit up nights worrying about it.

The amount of plastic in the ocean is a problem.  Especially the micro plastic.  The sea life is consuming it and we probably are when we consume the fish, crab etc.

China is buying less of our recycled trash and has become more picky with what they will accept so many recyclers are just tossing it in the landfill. 

We have been recycling for years.  Most plastics, paper, card board, aluminum and steel cans.  The city no longer accepts glass or plastic bags though.  That's all I know to do to help with the problem on my end.  Food scraps go in the plastic bags then in the deep freezer until trash pickup day due to varmints raiding trash bins overnight plus odor reduction.

I recycle, to the best that I can.
The little lady here thinks that she is saving the world by putting just about everything in the recycle bin.

I seriously wonder just how much of the "stuff" sent to the recycle facility actually gets effectively recycled.

Recycling is expensive for cities to provide and what do they do with it once they get it? One that gets me is the plastic bags from grocery stores ect, do I need a bag for my one bag of cheese, no, but the clerk puts it in there anyways.

Recycling is expensive for cities to provide and what do they do with it once they get it? One that gets me is the plastic bags from grocery stores ect, do I need a bag for my one bag of cheese, no, but the clerk puts it in there anyways.

Most is purchased by China but as I stated they have started to cut back. If recyclers can’t sell it, they dump it in the landfill otherwise it just builds up and takes up too much space.