United States of Plastic, a new series that will run for the rest of 2019, will reveal global inequality and the environmental consequences of our dependence on a miracle material

What happens to your plastic after you drop it in a recycling bin?

According to promotional materials from America’s plastics industry, it is whisked off to a factory where it is seamlessly transformed into something new.

United States of Plastic, a Guardian US series running for the remainder of 2019, will reveal what really happens – and the consequences of our reliance on this miracle material.

Only 9% of plastic has ever been recycled, and today the recycling system is breaking down. Plastic is being landfilled, burned or dispatched to developing nations, where it is probably being disposed of improperly, to the detriment of people who can least afford to deal with the consequences. Plastic waste and microplastics are found everywhere from whales’ stomachs to aquifers deep underground. America is a nation in a plastic-coated crisis.

This content was made possible with funding by the Ford Foundation, as part of an in-depth reporting project on inequality across the United States. All content is editorially independent and overseen by our special series editor, Alastair Gee, from the Guardian’s west coast bureau in Oakland. You can reach him and the rest of the team at unitedstatesofplastic@theguardian.com.

All our journalism follows Guardian News and Media’s published editorial code. The Guardian is committed to open journalism, recognizing that the best understanding of the world is achieved when we collaborate, share knowledge, encourage debate, welcome challenge, and harness the expertise of specialists and their communities. You can read more about content funding at the Guardian here.

The only restriction to the Guardian’s coverage is where the Ford Foundation is prohibited under US law from directly funding or earmarking funds to: (a) carry on propaganda, or otherwise to attempt to influence any legislation through an attempt to affect the opinion of the general public, or through communication with any member or employee of a legislative body; (b) conduct programs to register voters; or (c) undertake any activity for any purpose which is not exclusively charitable, scientific, literary or educational.

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