China is sick and tired of your garbage. You may not be aware of it, but some of the trash you sort into your blue bin ends up getting shipped to China where it’s eventually recycled. But China recently decided to cut back on the amount of garbage they’re willing to import; a move that left some US cities holding the bag. So whether you know it or not, many of your recyclables are ending up in landfills as cities “are continuing to encourage their residents to recycle as usual … Local waste managers said they were concerned that if they told residents to stop recycling, it could be hard to get them to start again.” NYT: Your Recycling Gets Recycled, Right? Maybe, or Maybe Not.

+ If you’re tossing things in the recycling bin out of sheer hope, you might be an aspirational recycler. (LinkedIn should add that as a skill.) NYT: 6 Things You’re Recycling Wrong.