China used to take 70% of America's recycled plastics - but since 2018, they've accepted significantly less. Because recycling is more expensive than disposal, fewer items are now being recycled. Since China stopped accepting the majority of plastics from America, the U.S. has been recycling less. 'The low cost of sending it to China was propping up a system that was unsound', says one Maine representative. Some point to long-term versus short-term costs: 'It might be cheaper today, but over 50 and 100 years it becomes more expensive because the waste doesn't go away', says one non-profit manager.