Why A Lot of Plastic Isn't Getting Recycled

Oakland resident Paul Beach cares a lot about recycling. So, he was troubled to hear rumors that all his carefully sorted recyclables might be going into the landfill. He wants to know, how much of our recycling is actually getting recycled? Turns out, when it comes to plastic, not a lot.

Additional Reading:

•  'You Can't Recycle Your Way Out': California's Plastic Problem and What We Can Do About It
• California's Plastic Problem
• Prop Fest playlist
• Listen to a transcript of this episode

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Monica Lam. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Brendan Willard. Our Social Video Intern is Darren Tu. Additional support from Cesar Saldaña, Jen Chien, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.