Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse

Unwanted used plastic sits outside Garten Services, a recycling facility in Oregon. (Laura Sullivan/NPR)

The vast majority of plastic that people put into recycling bins is headed to landfills, or worse, according to a report from Greenpeace on the state of plastic recycling in the U.S.

The report cites separate data published this May which revealed that the amount of plastic actually turned into new things has fallen to new lows of around 5%. That number is expected to drop further as more plastic is produced.