You're confusing mixed waste, the subject of the article, with all recycling. It's true that mixed waste is difficult to process and is often best in a landfil

You're confusing mixed waste, the subject of the article, with all recycling. It's true that mixed waste is difficult to process and is often best in a landfill or clean incinerator. But properly sorted plastics are perfectly usable, and they are cheaper than virgin plastics. The reason they are cheaper is that it is less expensive to clean and regrind them than it is to process new, virgin plastic. Virgin polypropylene currently fetches about $0.65 a pound, whereas recycled clear polypropylene is sold for $0.50-0.55 a pound. These plastics are typically recycled within the same region as the origin of the waste plastic, and, due to freight, often get re-used in industry in the same region as well.