Mark Dolliver's Takes: Let the Planet Save Itself

Amid chatter about saving the planet, it doesn’t hurt to get a reality check on what people actually do. And it turns out many Americans skip one of the most basic eco-friendly practices: recycling. While majorities say they recycle cans, paper, plastic and glass bottles, you can gather from the chart here—using new Harris Poll data—that lots do not. Asked to cite the “main barrier” that keeps them from recycling, about one-fourth had a decent excuse, like “not available in our area” (15 percent).