Not only are most of the plastic items placed in this nation’s recycling bins quietly diverted to landfills, now even the stuff that was getting recycled is headed to the same place. We try to say we are “green,” whatever that means, because we recycle a small percentage of our waste but anyone who has been paying attention knows that this was never more than publicity misdirection from the start. Now, even the veil of respectability has been removed.

China doesn’t want our trash anymore. Too many dirty diapers and greasy pizza scraps in the mix… or words to that effect. (Even the photo above has visible items that would contaminate the recycling process, such as it is.) If it doesn’t give you pause to think that one of our leading export commodities to Asia is garbage, and even our garbage doesn’t pass muster for prospective buyers, I don’t know what else to tell you.