You're almost right about a government mandate. But instead it should mandate that waste management corporations step up their game and actually do the "manage" part. First of all, no more recycling trucks. Force them to sort the garbage and pull the plastic, aluminum, and glass out of the waste stream. This will get trucks off the roads and offload the mental tax (as well as political element) from consumer households. If the separated plastic is able to be recycled, WM can do so. If not, store it and all other materials in segregated areas of the landfill so if that changes in the future, the material can be easily dug up. They are the ones who should be "going green", consumer's job is to use the service they are paying for. There is no reason WM should get a free pass to stagnate while most other companies are innovating.