Background
In 2017, nearly 40% of America’s waste was being sent over seas for the purpose of recycling and repurposing materials. So when in 2018 China began rejecting most of this material, the problems within our waste management system became clear. With the price of plastic now so low, many municipalities could not afford the cost of the recycling the material, resulting in many otherwise recyclable materials being thrown away. Moreover, only 9% of plastic in the U.S is actually being recycled. With this in mind, I wanted to create a project that would not only encourage mindfulness when recycling, but also offer helpful swaps that could help reduce the amount of waste created in the future.
