The biggest and most important step is to reduce how much you buy in the first place. Not just plastics, everything. Secondly you should reuse what you already

The biggest and most important step is to reduce how much you buy in the first place. Not just plastics, everything. Secondly you should reuse what you already have for as long as possible. Reuse those food containers, repair clothes with holes in them and so on. Use that cloth shopping bag for as long as possible instead of buying new ones. One of my canvas shopping bags is over 30 years old and still hasn't needed any repairs. Recycling should only be the choice when you cannot reduce, reuse or repair any longer. And all of this is of course just individual action, the real results will only come from heavily regulating or completely shutting down the fossil fuel industry.