he way the US "recycles" has been mostly sending them away to countries who just toss them into the sea.

In EU countries that won't fly as easily. But governments still look the other way and put that responsibility on NGOs who often lie about how much they recycle. They claim "70%", but that's 70% of what's put in the container paid by the city. There's still way too much stuff tossed into the normal trash or out in the open.