Yeah, he’s a comedian. Sort of. But everything in this piece is absolutely true and most decidedly unfunny. The very term plastic recycling is as much of an oxymoron as compassionate conservative, jumbo shrimp or the Superbowl Champion Detroit Lions, and it always has been. The idea that individuals hold the key to the mythical process of plastic recycling is a lie that has been told so often by those who stand to benefit that it has become accepted as true, by those who stand to bear the most cost. That’s us.

No kidding, for a basic primer on plastics and why we’re in the place we’re at, this is as good a 20-minute synopsis as any you’ll find. (And don’t tune out before you get to the part about Extended Producer Responsibility, because that’s the most important part of the whole rant. I believe you’ll be hearing a lot more about EPR in the months ahead.)