Sprawling US Recycling Effort Puts Snack Wrappers Into Landfills

The former teen idol Zac Efron is riding a skateboard, and then he’s dressed for some reason in a bee-keeper’s uniform. He’s talking about the “pretty freaking cool” second life of recycled plastics, including the wrappers of Nature Valley granola bars, that have been ground down to make park benches and picnic tables. “The planet deserves better,” Efron says, “and in-store recycling is an easy first step.”

This 2021 video posted to Efron’s Instagram account received nearly 7 million likes. The sponsor, food giant General Mills Inc., worked with the High School Musical star in an effort to spread the word about ...