I think we should continue to recycle plastic for more permanent uses

Well, here’s the problem with that. Plastic when it is (and it rarely is) recycled becomes a lower grade. It doesn’t magically transform into something better or more permanent, just more future trash.

I live outside the city with no trash or recycling pickup. Maybe you should reflect on the recycling centers being closed right now and acknowledge that apart from demanding someone else provide a bin you can stuff things into and forget about them, a better idea is to keep packing your own trash in and out, processing and cleaning, and compressing it. Your buying habits will change PDQ. Ours sure have now that we can’t “put it out and forget it”