Louise Taylor: Recycling reasons

Regarding the Oct. 19 column “The reign of recycling”: The reason that recycling plastic is less cost effective is because the price of oil has fallen. Plastic is made from petroleum. When the price of oil falls low enough, making plastic from petroleum is cheaper than recycling used plastic.

But though oil prices fluctuate from day to day, we’re more likely to live sustainably if recycling programs do not. But there’s a more compelling reason to recycle plastic:

According to the journal Science, “Four to ten million metric tons of plastic washed offshore in 2010 alone ... enough to cover every foot of coastline on the planet.” Much of this plastic comes from leaky landfills.

Every plastic bottle that’s recycled is one that doesn’t end up in the sea.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Louise Taylor: Recycling reasons."