Waste management is an often overlooked and undermined topic that runs our societies, yet any focus on how exactly our waste gets managed and how it impacts the planet is usually unheard about. Plastic waste management is especially a complicated process. In America, there is plastic in pretty much everything, yet 9% of it is recycled. Most of the plastic ends up in landfills, continuing to pollute the earth far beyond its use. 

Thankfully, there are several programs that aim to combat this heavy pollution. TerraCycle accepts all plastic types 1-7, as only types 1 and 2 are commonly recycable at local recycling centers. However, sturdier plastic that takes far longer to be broken down are usually types 3 and up. Setting up TerraCycle stands in every public space could greatly reduce plastic pollution. Education is another effective tool of promoting eco-friendly practices from a young age. 

At my school, I co-started a TerraCycle drive. My friend and I handed out cups to each teacher in which the teachers would collect all of their dried out plastic stationery like highlighters, pens, and more. We would then drop by every three weeks to empty out these cups and after we would have a box full of the stationery we would send the package to the TerraCycle recycling headquarters, thus helping our schools become slightly closer to becoming zero-waste.