Recycling plastic properly is something anyone can do to help combat climate change, but many people get lost in the weeds on what goes into the recycle bin versus the trash.
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Guests on Greater Boston spoke with Sue O'Connell about the challenges that come with recycling plastic and what people can do to help.
Claire Galkowski, executive director of South Shore Recycling, noted that plastic is all around us. "Everything we touch, practically, is plastic," she said.
"Bottles, cans and containers ... are eminently recyclable. And the biggest problem that we have is that consumers aren't putting them in their recycling bin," Galkowski said.
She and Steve Boksanski, executive director of the Massachusetts Beverage Association, said people should rinse out your items before they go into the recycling bin, keep the caps on plastic bottles and avoid putting plastic bags in the recycle bin as they get tangled up.
Galkowski said about 70% of material is being lost to the trash instead of to recycling. Most importantly, they said, don't buy something if you don't need it.
Watch: Confused about recycling rules? Follow these tips
