system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: why exactly aren’t plastic straws recyclable?
gpt
Everything can be recycled.

The question is whether it can be done for less money and energy than creating something new from scratch.  If the recycling process requires you to burn a bunch of fossil fuels and manufacture a bunch of new equipment, it might actually create more pollution and waste than simply putting the item into a landfill.