But what actually happens to the plastic the state collects for recycling after it leaves the Materials Recycling Facility in Johnston? Interview highlightsOn how the staff at ecoRI tracked recycled plastic bottles in Rhode IslandRob Smith: We got a bunch of air tags. On where recycled plastic bottles end upSmith: What we learned is that Rhode Island is actually part of a national and international, sort of, downstream plastic economy. The one in Georgia takes those PET plastic bottles, which is the most common type of plastic bottles, and turns them into laminate flooring, carpeting. You can do everything right, but there’s so much that’s not in our control when it comes to whether this stuff is actually recycled, right?