Achieving sustainable systems and lifestyles is ultimately a cultural challenge, and culture is built from the bottom up, from our individual actions and values. Sadly, here in the U,S. there is little to no plastic recycling. I no longer buy Ziploc bags because I get plenty in the grocery products I buy, dried organic blueberries, walnuts. Frustrating to shop for organic foods given how often they are packaged in non recyclable materials, which is where politics comes in. Public awareness can force politicians to pass laws requiring that all packaging be biodegradable or recyclable...our individual actions make little difference until they become cultural norms, and then the power of mass behavior makes their impact profound.