My uncle said recycling is a waste of time and I almost agreed with him

Karen Shah · 2026-10-02T08:00:04.044563+00:00

So my uncle and I were sitting on his porch in Sacramento last weekend and he goes 'why do you bother sorting all that stuff, it just ends up in the same landfill.' I wanted to argue but then I remembered reading that only about 9 percent of plastic ever gets recycled, so I just sat there quiet. He's 67 and has been burning his trash in a barrel out back for like 20 years, so he's not exactly on board with the whole thing. But here's what got me: he wasn't being mean, he was just tired of feeling like his small effort doesn't matter. That hit me harder than any stat because I feel that exact way when I see a company dump chemicals in a river and get a small fine. So now I'm thinking the whole 'personal responsibility' push was kind of a scam to keep us busy sorting cans while the big polluters keep going. I still recycle but I'm done acting like it's the main solution. Has anyone else had a family member say something like this and actually change how you think about the stuff you do at home?

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My uncle said recycling is a waste of time and I almost agreed with him | Climate Action - The Community Guide