It's so sad to see how much plastic is all around us and how little we are doing to stop using it, to recycle it and to do it yesterday. Our planet can't take much of this abuse and we are already paying the price. Unfortunately some companies and people only care about money and aren't doing much to protect this planet.

Recycling plastic (the right way) should be a priority by now. Everywhere. The climate has and is changing so rapidly that we can't afford too many missteps or our own survival will come to an end. Nature has wisdom about it and whenever one species threatens the balance of things, nature finds ways to deal with that species.

I never realized how much plastic waste Americans have until I moved to Europe. In the country I live, recycling plastic is normal. There are recycling cans next to every trash can. In addition, you must bring your own bag or purchase bags, which are made from recyclable plastic. It would be great if all countries could get on this same page.

This is a challenging task, but one worth taking on. If we don't act now, what would be left of the natural resources we have -- especially our seas? We're already seeing the effects of our high production and poor recycling of plastic. It just makes sense to find a way to circle it back so we don't put anything to waste.

Interesting challenge here! I think that I’m general the issue with plastics just like many of our other environmental issues the tragedy of the commons plagues our society. I think that if we were to simply have the mass of people and corporations actually commit to implementing environmentally beneficial and sustainable practices we would actually start to see small changes. Unfortunately with not enough laws in place to set these large corps straight and not too many people who feel like saving the earth isn’t there problem this will be hard to accomplish. Not to mention that the actual process of recycling can also be dangerous for the environment. So many factors to consider!!! Difficult, but never impossible.

This is such an important problem to tackle. I have lots of personal feelings about the destruction of our environment, but when it comes to plastics, I find it eternally frustrating that corporations put the impetus on consumers to make the big changes. And yes, while we can absolutely take individual responsibility, and we should, we have corporations seemingly working against us to make it difficult. For example, most people don't realize that mixed material packaging is unrecyclable, unless we, as consumers, separate the different materials. Pasta boxes that have the clear windows are unrecyclable, unless we, the consumer, takes the box apart to separate the plastic window from the cardboard, and then recycle them separately. That's just one of many examples! The big changes need to start with corporations. Hopefully one day they will really start to be held accountable. Until then, we will continue to do our part. Every little bit helps!

Take action! I know that I dont always recycle but as a family we try our best! For example we have used the same laundry jug and 5 gallon bucket for the past 4 years and make our own laundry detergent. We use refillable water bottles, we recycle metals and use cloth wipes and napkins. I try to teach my children about the effects of waste on our planet and ways they can clean up around our community. We buy local from our farmers market and use locally made cleaning products that you just add water to and we dont need to have them in plastic containers. You can also buy shampoo bars. Its about the little things you do everyday that add up to big things in the long run.

When it comes to recycling, we have to take responsibility as individuals. I worked for a company for year's that has recycle bins and only half of the staff would use it. There needs to be better systems in place for more people to recycle.

Bottom line something needs to be done about the waste. We have to think about the containers we use and what is being done with it as trash. We are all responsible.

Capitalism and its rampant consumerism will be the death of us! I'm not suggesting an alternative because I don't believe there is a viable one. But we must reduce our waste to keep our planet liveable.

We can solve plastic pollution by having more public places to recycle, having a better system for waste management, and by reducing our reliance on single-use plastics. We need to be more conscious of the amount of plastic we use and how we can reduce our consumption. We also need to be more mindful of how we dispose of plastic and make sure that it gets recycled properly. Let's work together to solve this problem!

Thank you for the explanation of a circular economy (many don't know what that is). I do hope we find a viable solution to plastic soon.

In regards to recycling and creating eco-friendly products, I have always wondered how much of the responsibility falls on the individual (every day people like you and I) and how much of it falls on mega corporations. So I can appreciate that the concept of a 'circular economy' seems to have a special focus on tackling things on an industrial level.
The thought of having more plastic in the ocean than fish is unimaginable to me...I definitely hope to be part of the solution.