This year's global focus on Earth Day is about reducing the amount of plastic waste around the world.

The McAllen Recycling Center processes about 53 tons of items a day. They take paper, cardboard, plastics, some types of metals and even glass

This year's Earth Day theme is Planet Versus Plastics. The goal is to raise awareness about the rise of single-use plastics that can cause problems to the planet.

One of the things to reduce plastic waste is swapping out plastic water bottles for reusable bottles.

Recycling Education Coordinator Abril Paz says one thing you don't want to do is put recyclables in plastic bags because they get stuck in the machines.

Plastic bags and bubble wrap packaging are not recyclable.

"We do have a test that's called the Finger Test. If you're able to poke your finger through any plastic that you get that's not recyclable," Paz said.

Before putting any plastic in the recycling bin, make sure to look for the triangle with a number at the bottom of the container.

All plastic containers go from number one to seven. Paz says the center only recycles plastic number one and two.

Another thing to do is to make sure plastic containers are clean before they are recycled so they don't contaminate other recyclables.

Watch the video above for the full story.