Great post, Ashley, thanks for bringing up this important issue (and kudos for spreading the message to family members).

I'd add that that of the small proportion of plastics that don't go directly into the landfill or just blow over the landscape, most are "downcycled", i.e. they become products that are themselves not recyclable, like synthetic lumber and similar items. We should really reserve the term "recyclable" for materials that can make more than just a couple of trips around the block: this would include most glass, paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel, but very few plastic products.

Bottom line is, increasing our recycling efforts with plastic water bottles and shopping bags won't really help very much. We should just ban 'em.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

Our little town (Portola Valley) runs town picnics, usually with little booths run by various groups.  A very striking display included various plastic water bottles, with the tops colored to show how much petroleum was used for each one, i.e., thus including transportation of things like Fiji Water ... to towns served by the Hetch Hetchy reservoir (i.e., great water).  

-John Mashey