The July 20 news article “There’s a ton of plastic garbage for every person on Earth” said that “recycling only delays plastic’s trip to the trash bin. Incineration is the only way to assure that plastic is eliminated.” This is misleading because incinerated plastic will be replaced by plastic manufactured from raw materials such as coal. Unlike recycling, incineration will yield no net decrease in the amount of plastic circulating in the environment.

Meanwhile, burning plastic releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Until we can stop using plastic, recycling remains the best environmental option.

Jerome Puskin, Potomac