Cans and glass are infinitely recyclable. Recycling aluminum saves 96% of the energy of producing new.

Paper is semi recyclable, but it degrades, so it can only go through the process a certain number of times.

Plastic is marginally recyclable. Only about 10% of plastic that goes into a recycling bin gets recycled. It was a hoax by petro-chem to make plastic seem more sustainable than it is.

Most places are at least burying the streams still sorted. The idea is that if we find a lucrative use for shitty plastic, we could mine it back out of the landfills.

Municipal compost is one of the best waste solutions society has ever implemented. It saves space in landfills, cuts down on odors, and it reduces fire and explosion risks. On top of that, the organic waste becomes compost that can be used locally. Most recyclables have to be shipped far distances before they can be reused but most municipalities can process their own organics into compost. The gardens in your city are proably nourished by the cities organic waste.

I've had coworkers try to say that the organics bin is some woke media conspiracy about control or something and I just don't understand what their problem is.