As plastic waste soars despite recycling efforts, author highlights industry's role

Sound of Ideas · Apr 23, 2026 · 52m

Plastic Waste

All this week for the "Sound of Ideas" Earth Week series, we've talked about things that people can do to help the environment.

We've discussed planting and maintaining trees to improve our region's tree canopy, to rethinking how you buy and wash clothes to combat pollution from the fashion industry, to changing your outdoor lighting to protect migrating birds.

We'll end the series by talking about the major issue of plastic waste.

For decades, there's been this emphasis on the individual. You know the phrase: "Reduce, reuse, recycle." But though there have been major efforts to…