Only a third of the plastic in packaging pots and trays for food bought by households can be recycled, local authorities have warned.

Town hall chiefs urged manufacturers to scrap the “smorgasbord” of plastics used to package foods from fruit and vegetables to yogurts, margarine and microwave meals to help cut waste and increase recycling.

Analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households a year.

But just 169,145 tonnes can be recycled, with two-thirds heading for landfill or incineration.

The LGA said councils had done all they can to tackle plastic waste, with 99% of local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77% picking up pots, tubs and trays.

But packaging for food can be made from a variety of polymers, the molecules which make up plastic, which need to be separated out to remove low-grade and non-recyclable types of plastic such as polystyrene.

Some packaging uses different plastics such as the body and lid of a yogurt pot, while fruit and vegetables punnets are made from three types of polymer, and microwave meals are cased in black plastic which cannot be easily sorted.

Manufacturers should work with councils and develop a plan to stop unrecyclable plastic being used, the Government should consider a ban on low-grade plastics and producers should contribute to the cost of collecting or disposing of the products, the LGA urged.

Judith Blake, LGA environment spokeswoman, said: “It’s time for manufacturers to stop letting a smorgasboard of unrecyclable and damaging plastic flow into our environment.

“We’ve been calling for producers of unrecyclable material to develop a plan to stop this from entering the environment for years.

“That needs to happen urgently, but the Government should now consider banning low-grade plastics, particularly those for single use, in order to increase recycling.

“If manufacturers don’t want to get serious about producing material which can be recycled and protecting our environment, then they should at least contribute towards the cost that local taxpayers have to pay to clear it up.”

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokeswoman said: “Our recycling rates are rising, less waste is now sent to landfill and separate food waste collections are increasing.

“However, there is much more to do. That’s why we are we are working with industry to improve the nation’s recycling rates further, including by making more products recyclable.”

The LGA outlined five examples of everyday packaging that uses plastic that is difficult to deal with:

– 1. Margarine and ice cream tubs use polypropylene, which is extremely difficult to recycle, but they could be made with the plastic used for water bottles which can be easily recycled.

– 2. Microwave meal and meat packaging often uses black plastic that cannot be easily scanned and sorted, but changing the colour of these trays could lead to an increase in recycling.

– 3. Fruit and vegetable punnets use three polymers in their construction, so councils are calling for a simpler design using recyclable materials.

– 4. Yogurt pots use a mixture of two polymers, polypropylene and polystyrene, which are difficult to recycle but some companies now use the same material as used for plastic bottles, making them easily recyclable.

– 5. Bakery goods trays use two hard-to-recycle polymers, but more recyclable materials are available to store baked goods.</s>Two-thirds of the plastics used to package foods from fruit and vegetables to microwave meals go to landfill or are incinerated, town hall chiefs have said.

Around 525,000 tons of plastic pots, tubs and trays are collected from UK households each year, but just 169,145 tons can actually be recycled, analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) shows.

The LGA says councils are doing everything they can to tackle plastic waste, with 99% of local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77% picking up pots, tubs and trays.

But packaging for food can be made from a variety of plastic molecules called polymers, which need to be separated out to remove low-grade and non-recyclable types of plastic such as polystyrene.

Some packaging uses different plastics such as the body and lid of a yogurt pot, while fruit and vegetables punnets are made from three types of polymer, and microwave meals are cased in black plastic which cannot be easily sorted.

The analysis come after Sky News' documentary, Dirty Business, revealed it was more lucrative to export British plastic recycling than process it in the UK.

Town hall chiefs want manufacturers to stop using the mixture of plastics for food packaging to help increase recycling and are urging the government to consider a ban on low-grade plastics.

Judith Blake, LGA environment spokeswoman, said: "It's time for manufacturers to stop letting a smorgasboard of unrecyclable and damaging plastic flow into our environment.

"We've been calling for producers of unrecyclable material to develop a plan to stop this from entering the environment for years.

"That needs to happen urgently, but the government should now consider banning low-grade plastics, particularly those for single use, in order to increase recycling."

A spokeswoman from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "Our recycling rates are rising, less waste is now sent to landfill and separate food waste collections are increasing.

"However, there is much more to do. That's why we are we are working with industry to improve the nation's recycling rates further, including by making more products recyclable."

1. Margarine and ice cream tubs use polypropylene, which is extremely difficult to recycle, but they could be made with the plastic used for water bottles which can be easily recycled.

2. Microwave meal and meat packaging often uses black plastic that cannot be easily scanned and sorted, but changing the colour of these trays could lead to a rise in recycling.

3. Fruit and vegetable punnets are made of three polymers, so councils are calling for a simpler design using recyclable materials.

4. Yogurt pots use a mixture of two polymers, polypropylene and polystyrene, which are difficult to recycle but some companies now use the same material as used for plastic bottles, making them easily recyclable.

5. Bakery goods trays use two hard-to-recycle polymers, but more recyclable materials are available to store baked goods.

:: Sky's Ocean Rescue campaign encourages people to reduce their single-use plastics. You can find out more about the campaign and how to get involved at www.skyoceanrescue.com</s>Image copyright lenscap67

Most of the plastic food containers that householders wash out after use and put in the recycling bin cannot actually be recycled, it has emerged.

The mixture of plastics used in many yoghurt pots, ready meal trays and other containers limits the ability of councils to recycle them.

The Local Government Association says that only a third can be recycled. The rest get sent to landfill.

Up to 80% of packaging could be made more recyclable, the industry said.

The British Plastics Federation said companies are working to use more recyclable containers and called for a financial incentive for manufacturers to use more recyclable plastics.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Keith Freegard, from the recycling group at the British Plastics Federation says packaging manufacturers need an incentive.

According to the LGA analysis, around 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households in the UK every year, but only 169,000 tonnes of this waste is capable of being recycled.

It blames producers for using a mix of polymers, some of them poor quality.

The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, says the government should consider a ban on low-grade plastics.

Black plastic 'impossible to recycle'

The LGA says simple tweaks could make a massive difference, highlighting the case of microwave meals which are often supplied in black plastic material.

Black is the only colour that can't be easily scanned by recycling machines, meaning that process becomes unnecessarily complicated.

Changing the colour of these items would significantly increase the amount that could be used again.

"It's almost criminal to think that some of the plastics being used are difficult to recycle, and black plastic is almost impossible to recycle," Cllr Peter Fleming from the LGA told BBC News.

Image copyright GAnnison Image caption Microwave meal containers are often made from black plastic making it hard for scanners to recognise them

"The only reason we have black plastic being used by manufacturers is that it makes the food look good."

When it comes to punnets of fruit and vegetables many are made from up to three different types of plastic, including polystyrene, which can't be recycled.

Your views: 'Non-sustainable plastics should be labelled'

Some readers have said they want more transparency from shops about what packaging is recyclable.

Sally Warburton from Guernsey said she wants to buy sustainable items, "but it's a minefield and it sickens me that manufacturers are not being held to account".

Geraldine Fields said consumers "should be told exactly what plastic containers are able to be recycled and what can't".

She added: "I would like to see this information on the packaging so I can choose what products I buy based on their ability to be recycled."

Will this information change your shopping habits? Let us know by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

The LGA wants plastics manufacturers to work with councils to prevent materials that limit recycling entering the system in the first place.

And "if industry won't help us get there, then the government should step in to help councils", said Cllr Judith Blake, who is the LGA environment spokesperson.

As well as calling for a ban, the LGA is looking to the government to make plastics manufacturers pay for the costs of collecting and disposing of plastics that can't be recycled.

"Either they can make the change at the front end so their products are easier to recycle," said Cllr Fleming, "or they can start to help pay for the disposal."

Find out more about plastics pollution and how people are cutting down

Keith Freegard, from the recycling group at the British Plastics Federation - the leading association for the whole of the plastics industry - said designers often use the colour black for packs to indicate they are a more "top of the range product".

He told BBC Breakfast: "Unfortunately those designers didn't realise that when those packs arrived in the recycling factory after it had been separated by consumers, the black dye is not able to be seen by the sorting scanners in the recycling plant - so that does need to change."

He added: "At the moment there's no fiscal or monetary system in the UK that makes designers go for the really good-to-recycle designs and those who make packs which are less easy to recycle, they should be paying more money into the system."

Ask a question

Simon Ellin, the head of the Recycling Association, said manufacturers do have a "big responsibility" and "have got away with it for too many years", but added that "local authorities need to take responsibility as well".

"We have nearly 350 different collection systems up and down the country," he said. "There's widespread confusion, the public don't know how to use it, it's underfunded and it's the proverbial dog's dinner, to be honest."

Five simple solutions to packaging problems

Image copyright Getty Images

Margarine and ice cream tubs: Often contain the polymer polypropylene which is very difficult to recycle. An alternative approach would be to make them from the same plastic as water bottles which is easily recycled. Microwave and meat packaging: The materials can be recycled but need to be sorted via an optical scanner first. However, as they are predominantly black this makes the process difficult. A simple change of colour could lead to a real increase in recycling. Fruit and vegetable punnets: A complicated construction often sees three different polymers used. Simpler designs and more use of recyclable materials could make a big difference. Yoghurt pots: Often made from a mixture of polypropylene and polystyrene, which can be hard to recycle. An alternative is to use polyethylene terephthalate, which is also used in plastic bottles and can be easily recycled. Baked goods trays: The lining on these trays for cakes and baked goods is often made from difficult to recycle materials. Other options are available which could boost recycling numbers.

Dr Dominic Hogg, the chairman of waste management consultancy firm Eunomia, estimated the cost of dealing with packaging at the household level at around £1bn a year.

"The system we have at the moment, essentially the producers are covering probably something around £10-20 million of that cost," he said - adding that in some European countries, manufacturers would fund the entire amount.

In a statement - which supermarkets Asda and Sainsbury's referred to as their response to the LGA - the British Retail Consortium said retailers were "investing heavily" to find alternatives.

The LGA report comes after a study from the National Audit Office that suggests half the packaging reported as recycled is actually being sent abroad to be processed.</s>LONDON - Most of the plastic food containers that householders wash out after use and put in the recycling bin cannot actually be recycled, it has emerged. The mixture of plastics used in many yoghurt pots, ready meal trays and other containers limits the ability of councils to recycle them. The Local Government Association says that only a third can be recycled. The rest get sent to landfill.

Up to 80% of packaging could be made more recyclable, the industry said.

The British Plastics Federation said companies are working to use more recyclable containers and called for a financial incentive for manufacturers to use more recyclable plastics.

According to the LGA analysis, around 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households in the UK every year, but only 169,000 tonnes of this waste is capable of being recycled.

It blames producers for using a mix of polymers, some of them poor quality.

The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, says the government should consider a ban on low-grade plastics.

The LGA says simple tweaks could make a massive difference, highlighting the case of microwave meals which are often supplied in black plastic material.

Black is the only colour that can’t be easily scanned by recycling machines, meaning that process becomes unnecessarily complicated.

Changing the colour of these items would significantly increase the amount that could be used again.

“It’s almost criminal to think that some of the plastics being used are difficult to recycle, and black plastic is almost impossible to recycle,” Cllr Peter Fleming from the LGA told BBC News.

“The only reason we have black plastic being used by manufacturers is that it makes the food look good.”

When it comes to punnets of fruit and vegetables many are made from up to three different types of plastic, including polystyrene, which can’t be recycled.</s>Two-thirds of plastic pots, tubs and trays recycled by families are burnt or go to landfill.

Town halls admitted last night that only a third of the 525,000 tons they collect from households can actually be reused. The black plastic in ready-meal packs is hard to process, according to the Local Government Association.

It said margarine tubs and yoghurt pots made from polypropylene were extremely difficult to recycle. And it cited major problems with fruit and vegetable punnets and bakery goods trays.

The Daily Mail, which campaigns against plastic pollution, today reveals that waste from British families ended up in a dump in Poland that caught fire causing a major pollution scandal.

The tip in Zgierz is subject to an investigation by prosecutors amid claims that UK rubbish is being exported cheaply on the pretext of being recycled when it is either dumped in landfill or burnt.

The LGA surveyed councils to determine their recycling rates for rigid plastic pots, tubs and trays. These make up almost half of household plastic waste, the rest mainly being plastic bottles.

The resulting analysis, which is published today, shows that local authorities are recycling only 169,145 tons out of the 525,0000-ton annual total.

It claimed councils had done all they could to tackle plastic waste, with 99 per cent of them collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77 per cent picking up pots, tubs and trays. Judith Blake of the LGA said: ‘It’s time for manufacturers to stop letting a smorgasbord of unrecyclable and damaging plastic flow into our environment.

‘We’ve been calling for producers of unrecyclable material to develop a plan to stop this from entering the environment for years. That needs to happen urgently, but the Government should now consider banning low-grade plastics, particularly those for single use, in order to increase recycling.’

Britain is on the verge of burning more waste than it recycles for the first time, with some councils sending more than 80 per cent of rubbish for incineration.

An international league table last year revealed that England has one of the worst recycling rates in the developed world, coming 18th in a comparison of nations on recycling efficiency. The proportion of waste incinerated by English councils has risen fourfold in a decade.

The LGA’s analysis was challenged by the Recycling Association and waste reduction charity WRAP.

The two groups said polypropylene was easy to recycle, with a strong market for the material paying £200 a ton. They also said fruit and vegetable punnets were mostly made from a plastic used in water bottles and easily recycled. The recycling specialists also challenged the claim that bakery goods trays were a problem.

However, they supported the LGA’s concerns over polystyrene and black plastic, which is hard to recycle because lasers cannot pick it out from other rubbish.

The LGA insisted 60 per cent of tubs were hard to recycle, as was the case with ‘many’ fruit and vegetable punnets.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: ‘Our recycling rates are rising, less waste is now sent to landfill and separate food waste collections are increasing. However, there is much more to do.

‘That’s why we are we are working with industry to improve the nation’s recycling rates further, including by making more products recyclable.’

Stephen Hunt, of the British Plastics Federation, said: ‘The LGA may be surprised to learn how closely our aims and objectives align to theirs and we would be delighted to work more closely with local authorities to discuss waste management issues.

‘Whilst the volume of plastics packaging that is recycled, including pots, tubs and trays continues to increase year on year, more can clearly be done. We have long been calling for standardised collection schemes.’</s>Consumers are being warned that only a third of the plastic in packaging pots and trays for food bought by households can be recycled .

It is a startling figure from the Local Government Association who have been analysing the types of plastics that are used to package foods from fruit and vegetables to yogurts, margarine and microwave meals.

As a result, they are urging manufacturers to scrap the "smorgasbord" of plastics used to help cut waste and increase recycling.

Their figures suggests 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households a year, but just 169,145 tonnes can be recycled, with two-thirds heading for landfill or incineration.

The LGA said councils had done all they can to tackle plastic waste, with 99% of local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77% picking up pots, tubs and trays.

But packaging for food can be made from a variety of polymers, the molecules which make up plastic, which need to be separated out to remove low-grade and non-recyclable types of plastic such as polystyrene.

Some packaging uses different plastics such as the body and lid of a yogurt pot, while fruit and vegetables punnets are made from three types of polymer, and microwave meals are cased in black plastic which cannot be easily sorted.

Manufacturers should work with councils and develop a plan to stop unrecyclable plastic being used, the Government should consider a ban on low-grade plastics and producers should contribute to the cost of collecting or disposing of the products, the LGA urged.

The plastics that are difficult to deal with The LGA outlined five examples of everyday packaging that uses plastic that is difficult to deal with:

1. Margarine and ice cream tubs use polypropylene, which is extremely difficult to recycle, but they could be made with the plastic used for water bottles which can be easily recycled. 2. Microwave meal and meat packaging often uses black plastic that cannot be easily scanned and sorted, but changing the colour of these trays could lead to an increase in recycling. 3. Fruit and vegetable punnets use three polymers in their construction, so councils are calling for a simpler design using recyclable materials.

 4. Yogurt pots use a mixture of two polymers, polypropylene and polystyrene, which are difficult to recycle but some companies now use the same material as used for plastic bottles, making them easily recyclable.

 5. Bakery goods trays use two hard-to-recycle polymers, but more recyclable materials are available to store baked goods.

Judith Blake, LGA environment spokeswoman, said: "It's time for manufacturers to stop letting a smorgasboard of unrecyclable and damaging plastic flow into our environment.

"We've been calling for producers of unrecyclable material to develop a plan to stop this from entering the environment for years.

"That needs to happen urgently, but the Government should now consider banning low-grade plastics, particularly those for single use, in order to increase recycling.

"If manufacturers don't want to get serious about producing material which can be recycled and protecting our environment, then they should at least contribute towards the cost that local taxpayers have to pay to clear it up."

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokeswoman said: "Our recycling rates are rising, less waste is now sent to landfill and separate food waste collections are increasing.

"However, there is much more to do. That's why we are we are working with industry to improve the nation's recycling rates further, including by making more products recyclable."

Wales, however, is pretty good at recycling.

As a country we were named the second best household waste recycler in the world at the end of 2017.

Cardiff is currently one of the best cities for recycling in the UK with a recycling and composting rate of 60 per cent. But it still needs to improve - the council will need to recycle a further 20,000 tonnes of the city's waste by 2025 to meet Welsh Government's 70% target.

We are all still making mistakes, partly because we're trying to recycle the wrong things.</s>Most of the plastic food trays that householders carefully wash out after use and put in the recycling bin cannot actually be recycled, it has emerged.

The mixture of plastics used in many yogurt pots, ready meal trays and other containers limits the ability of councils to recycle them.

The Local Government Association says that only a third can be reused. The rest get sent to landfill.

It blames producers for using a mix of polymers, some of them poor quality.

The LGA says the government should consider a ban on low-grade plastics.

According to the LGA analysis, around 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households in the UK every year, but only 169,000 tonnes of this waste is capable of being recycled.
• The woman who found a new threat in plastic
• Seven charts that explain the plastic pollution problem

The LGA says that some simple tweaks could make a massive difference to this situation,

It points to microwave meals which are often supplied in black plastic material.

However, black is the only colour that can't be easily scanned by recycling machines, meaning that process becomes unnecessarily complicated.

Changing the colour of these items would significantly increase the amount that could be used again.

"It's almost criminal to think that some of the plastics being used are difficult to recycle, and black plastic is almost impossible to recycle," Cllr Peter Fleming from the LGA told BBC News.

"The only reason we have black plastic being used by manufacturers is that it makes the food look good."

When it comes to punnets of fruit and vegetables many are made from up to three different types of plastic, including polystyrene, which can't be recycled.
• Margarine and ice cream tubs: Often contain the polymer polypropylene which is very difficult to recycle. An alternative approach would be to make them from the same plastic as water bottles which is easily re-used.
• Microwave and meat packaging: The materials can be recycled but need to be sorted via an optical scanner first. However, as they are predominantly black this makes the process difficult. A simple change of colour could lead to a real increase in recycling.
• Fruit and vegetable punnets: A complicated construction often sees three different polymers used. Simpler designs and more use of recyclable materials could make a big difference.
• Yoghurt pots: Often made from a mixture of polypropylene and polystyrene, which are difficult to recycle. An alternative is to use polyethylene terephthalate, which is also used in plastic bottles and can be easily recycled.
• Baked goods trays: The lining on these trays for cakes and baked goods is often made from difficult to recycle materials. Other options are available which could boost recycling numbers.

The LGA wants plastics manufacturers to work with councils to prevent materials that limit recycling entering the system in the first place. It is also calling for government to consider banning low-grade plastics, particularly those for single-use items.

"We need an industry-wide, collaborative approach where together we can reduce the amount of material having an impact on the environment," said Cllr Judith Blake, who is the LGA environment spokesperson.

"But if industry won't help us get there, then the government should step in to help councils ensure we can preserve our environment for generations to come."

As well as calling for a ban, the LGA is looking to the government to make plastics manufacturers pay for the costs of collecting and disposing of plastics that can't be recycled.

"Either they can make the change at the front end so their products are easier to recycle," said Cllr Fleming, "or they can start to help pay for the disposal."

The BBC contacted the British Plastics Federation which represents manufacturers for a comment but has yet to receive a response.

The LGA report comes hot on the heels of a study from the National Audit Office that suggests that half the packaging reported as recycled is actually being sent abroad to be processed.</s>Two-thirds of plastic in packaging pots and trays for food bought by households cannot be recycled, local authorities have admitted.

Town hall chiefs urged manufacturers to scrap varying types of package foods from fruit and vegetables to yogurts, margarine and microwave meals to help cut waste and increase recycling.

Analysis by the Local Government Association suggests 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households a year.

But just 169,145 tonnes can be recycled, with two-thirds heading for landfill or incineration.

Councils said they had done all they can to tackle plastic waste, with 99 per cent of local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77 per cent picking up pots, tubs and trays.</s>Only a third of the plastic in packaging pots and trays for food bought by households can be recycled, local authorities have warned.

Town hall chiefs urged manufacturers to scrap the “smorgasbord” of plastics used to package foods from fruit and vegetables to yogurts, margarine and microwave meals to help cut waste and increase recycling.

Analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households a year.

But just 169,145 tonnes can be recycled, with two-thirds heading for landfill or incineration.

The LGA said councils had done all they can to tackle plastic waste, with 99% of local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77% picking up pots, tubs and trays.

But packaging for food can be made from a variety of polymers, the molecules which make up plastic, which need to be separated out to remove low-grade and non-recyclable types of plastic such as polystyrene.</s>Piece by piece, an environmental threat is piling up, and we're ALL to blame. Worse yet, even those of us trying to bring an end to the problem may not be doing as much good as we think. David Pogue reports our Cover Story:

In the 1950s, a new material burst onto the scene that would change the world forever. Cheap, durable, sanitary, strong, and light.

And today, there are literally thousands of raw categories of plastic, according to Fred Betke, founder of Delta Pacific Products, which makes plastic parts for medical instruments.

The technical name is polypropylene, and all almost everything plastic starts out as pellets. They're available in every color under the sun.

Delta Pacific's clients specify the exact design of the parts they want. Hot plastic gets injected into heavy steel molds.

After 65 years of making plastic, we've pretty much mastered the art. What we haven't yet figured out is what to do with plastic once we're done with it.

"It lasts a really long time," said Roland Geyer, professor of environmental science at UC Santa Barbara. "It doesn't biodegrade. So, it just sits there."

Geyer has studied how much plastic we throw away. "We have statistics reaching all the way back to the dawn of plastic mass production, 1950. And if we add it all together, it's 8.3 billion metric tons. So, if we take that and spread it out evenly over California, the entire state of California would be covered. And that would be an ugly sight."

About 70 percent of our discarded plastic winds up in open dumps or landfills.

"So, a plastic bag probably used once between the cash register and the car, and then how long will it be here in the landfill?" asked Pogue.

"It will be with us for hundreds of years," Geyer said.

But some plastic winds up in an even worse place: The ocean. "Every single year, somewhere between 5 and 12 million metric tons of plastic waste enters the ocean," Geyer said. "Plastic in the ocean has a tendency to break down into other smaller pieces. And these tiny pieces then get taken up even lower down in the food chain. So, we know that it ends up on our dinner plates."

"Wait a minute – there's plastic in my food?" asked Pogue.

"There is plastic in your food. Plastic in your sea salt. And there is plastic coming out of your tap."

In fact, at this rate, the World Economic Forum predicts that by 2050, our oceans will contain more plastic than fish.

But wait a minute: Don't most people recycle plastic? Not exactly. Geyer says that as of 2017, the world recycles only about 9 percent of all our plastic.

Even if you're good about using your recycling bin, your plastic may never actually get recycled. Its first stop is a material recovery facility, where metal, glass, paper and plastic get sorted.

"We sort everything," said Sunil Bagaria, the cofounder of GDB International, a corporate recycling facility in New Jersey. His staff sorts the plastic by type, and then wraps it into huge bales. "We will sort hangers. We will sort plastic film. We will sort soda bottles, pill bottles, and make individual bales of each plastic.

"Then it is going to another factory, which is then washing it, grinding, pelletizing it. Then from there it will go to another company which will make another product or maybe blowing another bottle."

It's easy and economical to recycle clean, pure plastic. But well over half of the plastic we throw in our bins is contaminated by food, paper labels, or other materials.

For 30 years, we've had an easy solution for disposing of that dirty plastic: Send it to China. "China was buying 50% of all graded plastic scrap in the world," Bagaria said. "Now, that continued for, say, 20, 30 years. And then there was I think a movie made by somebody, 'Plastic China.'"

The 2017 documentary "Plastic China" illustrated the brutal truth about the contaminated plastic that developed nations were selling to China. It showed a desperately poor Chinese family eking out a living by hand-sorting these mountains of plastic trash.

"So the Chinese government, the Communist Party is waking up and saying, 'Why are we doing this?'" Bagaria said.

"There's some national pride – 'We don't wanna be the world's dumping grounds'?" asked Pogue.

"Yes, there is national pride."

So, the Chinese government announced a new policy. Staring on January 1 of this year, China stopped accepting other countries' plastic unless it is impossibly pure. "If you are sending any scrap it should not have more than 0.5% of foreign matter," Bagaria said.

"So it's gotta be 99.5% pure?" said Pogue.

"Pure plastic. And that was obviously unattainable."

In his plant, Bagaria showed Pogue why. A lot of plastic come to recyclers like Bagaria all mixed together, impossible to separate cost effectively.

So, what happens now to the plastic we used to ship to China? Nothing. It's just piling up.

"We still have large volumes of the types of plastic that nobody will buy, sitting, waiting for somebody to buy them," said Clay Warner, the recycling manager at Garten Services in Salem, Oregon. "And then you have to decide how long you're gonna hold on to it before you end up throwing it away."

The town had to ask the public to stop putting certain plastic types into their recycling bins.

"The first, initial reaction from the public was outrage – What do you mean we can't recycle these plastics?" said Warner.

Meanwhile, smaller recycling centers are simply going out of business.

"If you were selling it to China, there was some revenue coming," Bagaria said. "Now, if you are sending it to landfill, sending it to landfill costs money. So, not only now you are not earning, now you are paying to get rid of it."

Still, Geyer points out that we have overcome environmental nightmares before: "We banned leaded gasoline; we managed to tackle ozone depletion successfully. So, I think humankind has a long history of creating big environmental problems, but I think we're also starting to have a track record of solving environmental problems."

Some larger facilities, like Sunil Bagaria's, have decided to process the contaminated plastic themselves.

"Earlier we were making money by selling it to China. Now we are making more money by keeping this here, sorting it, and making plastic pellets out of it," Bagaria said. "This China problem is a blessing in disguise."

In the big picture, though, it will take effort from every stakeholder to fix plastic's problem. Recycler Clay Warner says that government should play a part.

"I do think, in my own opinion, that we do need to ban certain plastics and packaging," Warner said.

Bagaria says that corporations play a part. "Like McDonald's, they have announced that by 2025, 'all our packaging will be made from recycled plastic.'"

And plastic-parts maker Fred Betke says that plastic manufacturers play a part.

"Yes, the industry's trying to address it. Polymers are being developed that, you know, the knives and spoons and forks that we see in some of the fast foods, they've gone to those polymers which are biodegradable. It has to happen. I mean, this [indicating the world] is all we've got, right?"

Bagaria added, "We cannot imagine life without plastics. But we cannot continue to lead our life the way we are. It's not like, 'Oh, let's use this planet Earth, then we will move to another planet.' No, this is what we have. We need to take care of this."
England's Local Government Association reports that approximately two-thirds of plastic objects which reach recycling facilities cannot be recycled, due to the mix of polymers used by producers.