How is the growing plastic waste problem impacting America?

May 5, 2022

The plastic recycling rate in the US fell from 8.7% in 2018 to 5-6% in 2021. Image: Unsplash/Nick Fewings

Valerie Volcovici

Journalist, Reuters

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A man with a protective face mask walks with recyclables in a shopping cart as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the borough of Brooklyn in New York, U.S.

A bill has been passed for new funding to support local waste management infrastructure and recycling programs. Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo

Bales of hard-to-recycle plastic waste are seen piled up at Renewlogy Technologies in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

Per capita plastic waste went from 60 pounds per year in 1980 to 218 pounds in 2018. Image: REUTERS/George Frey

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