There is No Guarantee That the Products You Recycle Are Actually Recycled, the UK Watchdog Warns (bbc.co.uk)

An anonymous reader shares a report: The National Audit Office (NAO) says over half of the packaging reported as recycled is actually being sent abroad to be processed. As a result, it says, the government has little idea of whether the recyclables are getting turned into new products, buried in landfill or burned. While an illusion of success has been created by the UK's system for recycling packaging, the NAO says, the reality may be quite different. Its report finds that: The government has turned a blind eye to underlying problems with the waste system. Firms may be over-stating the amount they are recycling. The Environment Agency has only carried out 40% of the recycling checks it planned to.

Comments

Re: Recycling theater is ubiquitous.

[Anonymous Coward]

I still hold that we should be separating plastic from other waste and burying it. In 50 years when crude oil is more expensive, we can invest in developing processes to use the buried plastic waste as feedstock for new petrochemicals.

This.

I've always felt that recycling is a disservice to future generations.

When humans have exhausted Earth's natural resources, they'll be able to dig up all the beer cans I've conveniently concentrated in my local landfill and refine them into new products.

Re:Recycling theater is ubiquitous.

[Anonymous Coward]

I pour it down the storm sewer so it can go back underground with the rest of the oil