For decades Americans simply bagged this stuff and threw it in the garbage with the coffee grounds. Lo and behold, some genius invented the mulching lawn mower, which chopped clipped grass into tiny bits and deposited the unnoticeable result on the lawn. All that having been said, the fact that something can be recycled doesn't mean it should be. This varies with the material being recycled. Surprisingly, so does newsprint.
Plastics are too light and heterogeneous, while mixed paper contains too many contaminants.
In the end we may conclude that this junk is best consigned to landfills. We're in the midst of a great national experiment, and we'd be foolish at this stage to prejudge the results. Cecil Adams can deliver the Straight Dope on any topic. For book details click here. Inc. All rights reserved.