Most of us know we need to recycle plastics and put our used containers into a recycling bin.  But are we getting it right?  And where does all of our plastic waste go?  Many people think it gets recycled and used again.  This is not true.  According to the Guardian newspaper, hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic gets shipped to countries such as Bangladesh, Laos, Vietnam, Senegal and Ethiopia  -some of the poorest places in the world.  The United States produces 34.5 million tons of plastic each year, enough to fill a large football stadium 1,000 times.

So, what can you do?  Bring your own coffee mug or reusable container to the coffee shop.  The single use cup you normally receive is not recyclable.  Wash your dirty plastic containers before putting them in the recycle bin, but more importantly, do not buy food sold in them.  Buy loose strawberries, for example, instead of the ones in a plastic box.  Stop using plastic bags, use cloth ones instead.  And just because you see a recycling symbol, it does not mean the product can be recycled.  Don’t fall for that marketing gimmick.  Usually, numbers 1 and 2 are the products which can be recycled.