Where Does Recycling Actually Go?

Early in 2021, the U.K.’s largest supermarket, Tesco, announced a new initiative. It wanted its customers’ snack wrappers, plastic wrap and shopping bags.

Tesco promised to take these soft plastics back and recycle them. A splashy ad campaign reads: “Recycling soft plastics shouldn’t be hard.” One hitch? Soft plastic is actually really hard to recycle.