Yes gentlemen, it is the disposal of used plastic and the unnecessary use which are the problems.

Rightly you mention paying poor countries to dispose of the stuff for us, a disgrace which started years ago with commercial trash from big corporations. Those countries don't have the plant to recycle it so it is burnt or dumped.

Some plastics are supposedly infinitely recycleable, polyester is one, but others such as ABS have uses limited to whatever they are blended for. I did a couple of powerpoint presentations on different types of plastics and their uses plus their disposal, this was largely to enlighten the audience and invite suggestions for alternatives. There is no alternative for chilled, shrink-wrapped (hermetically sealed) meats for example. This method saves freezing, therefore saves power and the cellular damage to the contents.

Our local municipal authority is a leader in recycling but some plastic, food wrapping mostly, still ends up in their incinerator which also runs power from a large alternator into the national grid.