How Much Do You Know About Recycling and Composting Plastic?

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Thanks for testing your knowledge! You can find out more about the action needed to prevent ocean plastic pollution here.

# wrong text: Sorry, that's incorrect. # right text: That's correct! # social text incomplete: How Much Do You Know About Recycling and Composting Plastic? Test yourself and share your results. # social text complete: How Much Do You Know About Recycling and Composting Plastic? I took the quiz and got a {score} out of {total_questions} correct! Test yourself and share your results. ? Does the universal chasing arrows symbol (♻) with a number in it mean an item is recyclable? - Yes - No + Maybe ! The number represents the type of plastic but doesn’t mean the item is recyclable or is likely to be recycled (if the recycling plant cannot handle the plastic type or there is no buyer for the recycled plastic material). Check with your local recycling program to learn which numbers they accept. ? Some products—coffee cups, sachets, and coffee bags are just a few examples—are made from several layers of materials. Can these be recycled? - Yes + No ! These products are made of plastic and nonplastic layers that cannot be easily and mechanically separated. Because of their construction, multimaterial products are rarely recycled. ? I’ve seen benches, bricks, and other products made from recycled plastic. Is this a good thing since that means the plastic won’t enter the environment? - Yes - No + Maybe ! Recycling can help keep plastic out of the environment in the short term but, because many products aren’t recycled again, recycling is often not a long-term solution. Ultimately, we should focus on reducing plastic production to prevent plastic pollution. ? Is there a difference between biodegradable and compostable plastic? + Yes - No ! Biodegradable plastic will break down naturally (first into microplastics and eventually into water, carbon dioxide, and other organics) but this process can take decades. Compostable plastic biodegrades, but only under certain conditions that require human intervention, such as in-home composting heaps or industrial composting facilities. ? Can I put compostable plastic on my compost heap? - Yes - No + Maybe ! Some compostable plastics can be composted only in specific industrial systems and should not be mixed with compostables at home—or with your plastic recycling. The product label should indicate if it is fit for home or industrial composting; if the latter, ask your composting program if they will take it. If not composted properly, there is a high chance that these items will stay intact or turn into microplastics, which are extremely problematic. ? Will biodegradable plastics eventually become harmless? - Yes - No + Maybe ! Biodegradable plastics need to be broken down by micro-organisms or in other conditions that aren’t often present in landfills or the ocean. Many biodegradable plastics simply break down into smaller pieces as microplastics, which are a growing problem. ? Of the following, which is the biggest source of microplastics? + Tires - Face scrubs - Fabrics ! Pew’s research found that wear and tear of car tires made up 78% of the microplastic pollution we studied. Improving tire design and reducing the number of miles driven (such as through carpooling or mass transit) could nearly halve microplastic pollution from tires by 2040. ? Can my workout gear, leggings, tops, and sneakers that are made from 50% recycled plastics be recycled at the end of their life? - Yes - No + Maybe ! Clothing made with synthetic materials can shed microplastics and, although it might be recyclable, consumers have few options for doing that—for example bringing items to specialized collection points. Further, the recycling process degrades plastic quality, limiting the number of times an item can be recycled. ? What is the best way to prevent ocean plastic pollution? - Reducing plastic use - Establishing refill systems - Improving recycling - Finding appropriate/sustainable substitutes for some plastic uses + All of the above ! There is no easy solution to ending plastic pollution, but Pew’s “Breaking the Plastic Wave” report identifies solutions that could cut this volume by more than 80% using technologies that are available today. Achieving this requires government and business leaders to make systemwide changes. ? Is the plastics problem too big and hard to solve? - Yes + No ! Pew’s “Breaking the Plastic Wave” found that humankind can cut annual flows of plastic into the ocean by about 80% in the next 20 years by applying existing solutions and technologies. No single solution can achieve this goal, but by taking immediate, ambitious, and concerted actions, we can greatly reduce ocean plastic pollution.