There is an increasing deception that plastic is highly recyclable in local facilities, but the EPA finds that this is far from true. While big oil companies greenwash their products and tell the consumers to recycle, rates of products that actually go through the entire recycling stream show a different reality.

Some reasons that plastics don't get recycled include the expenses of collecting and sorting plastics, the degrading quality of plastic that gets recycled, and the fact that it is cheaper to produce new plastic.

Big oil companies continue the drive to produce new plastics and increase their profits. Consumers can take action by providing their own reusable products from home and advancing their concerns to big companies.