But plastics aren’t carbon neutral and most aren’t manufactured to be reused. They’re made from buried dino bone. On the other hand, paper comes from trees which pulls carbon from the air so if and when that carbon reenters the air, the cycle is complete. Paper is in fact carbon neutral, minus any of the machinery used to manufacture or move the product. Pulling hydrocarbons from underground by its very nature is carbon additive.

Don’t throw them in the ocean, don’t throw them in anybody’s backyard, is the problem we now are running into China doesn’t want our trash anymore. Recycling plastics is harder than ever before. Also recycled plastics lose their elasticity which is part of their strength so only 10% of used material can be re-manufactured into new product.