Cleaning up after a pizza party, you toss an empty soda bottle into your recycling bin. But then you wonder: Is this really recyclable? What about the cups, forks, and plates? Or the greasy pizza box?

Just by asking these questions, you’re taking a step in the right direction. The average person doesn’t know very much about recycling, says Kate O’Neill. She’s an expert on how people manage waste. “Most people put their trash and recycling on the curb and forget about it,” she says.

You’re cleaning up after a pizza party. You toss an empty soda bottle into your recycling bin. But then you wonder. Can this really be recycled? What about the cups, forks, and plates? Or the greasy pizza box?

It’s good you’re asking these questions. It’s a step in the right direction. The average person doesn’t know very much about recycling, says Kate O’Neill. She’s an expert on how people handle waste. “Most people put their trash and recycling on the curb and forget about it,” she says.

Recycling means turning waste into reusable material. It’s good for the environment. It cuts down on the amount of garbage sent to landfills. There, trash releases harmful chemicals into the air and water. Recycling also saves natural resources. And recycling some materials saves energy.

But for recycling to have an impact, people need to do it right. So what are the rules? And what happens to the things we drop into the recycling bin?

Recycling means turning waste material into something new. It’s good for the environment. It cuts down on garbage sent to landfills. There, trash releases harmful chemicals into the air and water. Recycling also saves natural resources. And recycling some materials saves energy.

But people need to recycle the right way. Otherwise, it won’t have as much of an impact. So what are the rules? And what happens to the things we drop into the recycling bin?

Recycling programs haven’t always existed. In fact, for much of human history, people didn’t throw very much away. It wasn’t easy to make or buy new things. When something broke, people found ways to fix it.

But as early as the 1700s, there have been people who collected scraps of used metal and other material to turn into new things. In the early 1900s, some cities opened recycling centers, where people could bring metal, glass, and paper. Still, modern recycling programs were decades away.

Then in the 1950s, a new material changed everything—plastic. Companies started making things like plates, forks and knives, and food containers out of this lightweight, inexpensive material. Many plastic items were designed to be thrown out after one use.

Recycling programs haven’t always been around. People didn’t throw much away in the past. It wasn’t easy to make or buy new things. People found ways to fix things that broke.

But some things, like metal scraps, were being recycled as early as the 1700s. Some cities opened recycling centers in the early 1900s. People could drop off metal, glass, and paper. Still, modern recycling programs were many years away.

A new material changed everything in the 1950s. It was plastic. The material was light and cheap. Companies started making a lot of things from plastic. They included plates, utensils, and food containers. Many of these items were made to be tossed after one use.

This single-use plastic made life easier. “You could have a picnic and throw all the plates, cups, and utensils away,” says O’Neill. But it led to much more waste. By the 1970s, plastic litter was a big problem.

That’s when curbside recycling programs began. They made recycling plastic and other materials as easy as taking out the trash! The programs are less common in rural communities. But for most Americans, a truck can pick up your recyclables and take them to a building to be sorted and compressed (see Inside a Recycling Center). The items are ready to be taken to a factory to be turned into new things!

This single-use plastic made life easier. “You could have a picnic and throw all the plates, cups, and utensils away,” says O’Neill. But it led to much more waste. Plastic litter was a big problem by the 1970s.

That’s when curbside recycling programs began. They made recycling as easy as taking out the trash! The programs aren’t as common in rural areas. But for most Americans, a truck picks up your recycling. It takes it to a building to be sorted and compressed (see Inside a Recycling Center). The items then go to a factory. There, workers turn them into new things!

Madhvi Chittoor was just 5 years old when she saw a TV news story that changed her life. It was about plastic pollution. Madhvi saw masses of plastic swirling in the ocean, plastic litter washed up on beaches, and animals choking on plastic trash.

“I asked my parents, ‘What can I do to help stop plastic pollution?’” she says. With her parents’ help, Madhvi has made it her mission to do just that!

Madhvi decided to start by taking action at her school in Arvada, Colorado, in 2018, at just 7 years old. She wanted her school to stop using lunch trays made of Styrofoam, a type of plastic. Like all plastics, Styrofoam doesn’t fully break down in the environment. And it releases harmful chemicals.

Madhvi Chittoor was just 5 years old. That’s when she saw a TV news story. It changed her life. It was about plastic pollution. Madhvi saw plastic swirling in the ocean. She saw plastic litter on beaches. And she saw animals choking on plastic trash.

“I asked my parents, ‘What can I do to help stop plastic pollution?’” she says. Madhvi has made it her mission to do just that with her parents’ help!

Madhvi lives in Arvada, Colorado. She decided to take action at her school. It was 2018. And she was just 7 years old. She wanted her school to stop using lunch trays made of Styrofoam. It’s a type of plastic. Styrofoam doesn’t fully break down in the environment. And it releases harmful chemicals.