It’s a hardly a secret that plastic recycling in the US is broken. From a breakdown in basic recycling infrastructure, to low-quality materials that are increasingly difficult to make into new products, the recycling industry faces a plethora of challenges. It’s gotten to the point where, every time I throw a plastic container into curbside, I wonder if it will ever actually end up anywhere besides the landfill.

While plastic recycling’s problems aren’t easily fixed, a new law in Washington State should make significant headway to addressing the issue in my home state. Washington is one of several states now moving forward with “producer responsibility” laws that will force manufacturers of plastic waste to foot the bill for major upgrades to recycling–and the results could be transformative. I wrote in more depth about the Recycling Reform Act in my latest piece of Columbia Insight.

Do you, too, suffer anxieties about the effectiveness of recycling? Then I suggest you read the piece, which shows how states are taking this crisis into their own hands. I expect you’ll soon see that while the problems with plastic recycling are daunting, real solutions are on the horizon!

Continue reading on Columbia Insight