I’ve always thought it was a huge waste of time, and the only purpose was “raising consciousness.”
This article summarizes many of the things I’ve read over the years: Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work
One thing the article misses is that much of that “recycled” plastic we and others ship to Asia ends up in the ocean. It would be far better in a landfill.
Recycling makes sense for computer parts, used oil, and a few other things. But recycling glass and plastic is just a waste of time and effort.