The Myth Of Plastic: What's Actually Recyclable?

Plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle, and only a small percentage of plastic waste is actually recycled. In the US, the world's biggest plastic polluter, only about 5% to 6% of plastic is recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills, water sources, and even our bodies. This is due to a variety of factors, including the many different types of plastic that cannot be recycled together, food residue on containers, and the high cost of recycling compared to producing new plastic. While recycling is an important part of the solution, it is clear that addressing the global plastic crisis requires systemic change and a fundamental shift in our relationship with plastic.

Only 5-9% of plastic is recycled

Plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle. While 75% of plastic produced is thermoplastic, which can be melted and moulded to produce new plastics, the remaining 25% is made up of thermoset plastics that cannot be softened by heat and are therefore near-impossible to recycle. On top of this, the many different types of plastic cannot be recycled together, and food or oil residue on plastic items often renders them useless for recycling.

As a result, only 5-9% of plastic is recycled. The United States, the world's biggest plastic polluter, recycles just 5% of its plastic waste. Globally, 91% of plastic waste is incinerated, landfilled, or mismanaged, such as being dumped into the ocean.

The reasons for this are varied. The recycling system is deeply flawed, with most plastics being incompatible, making sorting costly and inefficient. Only PET (#1) and HDPE (#2) are widely recycled. The economics of recycling are also unfavourable, with virgin plastic being cheaper than recycled plastic, thus discouraging the use of recycled materials. The rise of flexible packaging, such as lightweight snack packets, also creates issues due to their contamination and complex composition.

The plastic industry has been accused of greenwashing and fraud, promoting recycling as a solution to plastic waste management despite knowing that it is not technically or economically viable at scale. Plastic production is set to triple by 2050, and with plastic waste piling up, over 170 countries are working on a United Nations treaty to end plastic pollution.

Plastic recycling is not economically viable

Plastic recycling is not a straightforward process, and it is often not economically viable. The plastic recycling rate is extremely low, with only around 15% of plastics produced each year being recycled globally. In the United States, the recycling rate for plastic waste is even lower, with studies showing that only about 5-6% of plastic is recycled. This is due to various factors, including the many different types of plastics that cannot be recycled together and the high costs of separating them.

The plastic industry has been accused of greenwashing, with claims that they have misled the public about the recyclability of plastics. Despite the push for recycling, the industry is aware that recycling alone cannot solve the problem of plastic pollution. The production and use of plastics have outpaced the ability to manage and recycle waste, and the infrastructure for effective plastic recycling is lacking.

The economics of plastic recycling is a significant challenge. It is cheaper and easier to produce new plastic from oil than to recycle plastic waste. The low cost of using oil to make plastic means that recycling plastic waste is often not economically justifiable. This is further compounded by the complex and varied nature of plastics, which makes it challenging to implement a circular economy for plastics. The large number of possible approaches to plastic recycling and the difficulty in evaluating their effectiveness contribute to slow progress.

Additionally, the low weight-to-volume ratio of plastic films and bags makes it less economically viable to invest in the necessary collection and sorting facilities. While there have been technological advances in recycling that can improve efficiency and decrease costs, the economics of recycled plastics compared to virgin resins remains a challenge. The potential for economically viable ways to reuse plastic exists, but investments to realize this potential have been relatively small.

Plastic types cannot be mixed for recycling

Plastic is a significant contributor to environmental pollution, with plastic waste ending up in oceans, landfills, water sources, and even human bodies. While recycling plastic is critical to improving the environment, the process is extremely complex and challenging.

One of the key challenges in plastic recycling is that different types of plastics cannot be mixed for recycling. Thermoset plastics, such as epoxy, phenolic, unsaturated polyester, and urethane, contain polymers that form irreversible chemical bonds during the curing process. These plastics are advantageous for their strength and heat resistance, but they cannot be recycled or reused. On the other hand, thermoplastics can be remelted and remolded, making them more suitable for recycling.

The numbers engraved on plastic items, often enclosed in small triangles, represent different types of plastic resin. These numbers are crucial for sorting plastics during the recycling process. Factories use these numbers to identify the resin types and match them with the appropriate melting temperatures. Mixing different types of plastics with varying melting points can lead to issues in the recycling process.

Additionally, the presence of thousands of different chemical additives in plastics further complicates the recycling process. These additives give plastics specific properties, such as softness or fire resistance, but they also mean that certain types of plastics cannot be recycled together. For example, a hard plastic detergent bottle and a squeezable ketchup bottle have distinct properties that make them incompatible for recycling as a mixture.

While it is challenging to recycle mixed plastic waste, there are ongoing efforts to address this issue. Some solutions propose using mixed plastic waste for alternative applications, such as shredding it for use as filler in asphalt or converting it into fuel through pyrolysis. However, implementing these solutions on an industrial scale remains a work in progress.

Plastic with food residues is often non-recyclable

Plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle, with only around 5-6% of plastic waste being recycled in the United States, according to a 2021 report. Globally, less than 10% of plastic waste has been recycled so far. The reasons for this are varied, but one significant factor is that plastic with food residues is often non-recyclable.

Food residues can include oils, grease, and other food waste that is left on plastic items after use. This can be true for plastic packaging, such as pizza boxes, which are only recyclable if they are clean. Similarly, plastic items such as straws, cups, and plates that have come into contact with food or beverages are often contaminated and therefore cannot be recycled. Even a small amount of food residue can render an entire batch of recyclables unusable. This is because the oily residue can contaminate the recycling process, making it difficult to separate the plastic from the food waste.

In addition to food contamination, the type of plastic resin used is also a factor in recyclability. Many plastic items, such as disposable cups, plates, and trays, are made from low-value plastic resins. These resins are not suitable for recycling and are often combined with food contamination, making these items even less likely to be recycled.

To ensure plastic is recycled properly, it is important to thoroughly rinse and clean plastic items before placing them in the recycling bin. However, even with proper cleaning, some plastic items with complex designs or a mix of materials may still be non-recyclable. For example, plastic toothbrushes, which come into contact with saliva and toothpaste, are not recyclable due to the specialized facilities needed to separate the different materials.

Overall, the recyclability of plastic is a complex issue influenced by various factors, including food residues, the type of plastic resin, and the availability of specialized recycling facilities. To reduce plastic waste and improve recyclability, it is essential to prioritize reusable options, minimize single-use plastic consumption, and properly clean and sort recyclable items.

Plastic industry's negative environmental impact

Plastic is a significant contributor to climate change and environmental pollution. The production of plastic contributes to annual emissions, with the plastic production in the EU emitting around 13.4 million tonnes of CO2, which is about 20% of the chemical industry's emissions in the European Union. The World Economic Forum projects that without intervention, the global plastic industry will account for 20% of total oil consumption and up to 15% of global carbon emissions by 2050.

The durability of plastics means that discarded items can remain in the environment for generations, with plastic pollution persisting for between 100 to 1,000 years or more before decomposition, depending on environmental conditions. Plastic pollution is ubiquitous, found in every ecosystem on the planet, from the Antarctic tundra to tropical coral reefs, and has even been detected in human breast milk, blood, livers, kidneys, and placentas.

The impact of plastic pollution on the marine environment is particularly concerning. Research indicates that more than 1,500 species in marine and terrestrial environments are known to ingest plastics, with 93% of fulmar birds in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and 85% of turtles in the Mediterranean Sea having ingested plastic litter. Plastic pollution puts marine species at higher risk of ingesting plastic, suffocating, or becoming entangled, and the accumulation of microplastics can cause punctured organs or intestinal blockages in animals.

The plastic industry's negative environmental impact is further exacerbated by the low recycling rates of plastic waste. Despite public assumptions that plastic placed in recycling bins will be recycled, the recycling rate for post-consumer plastic was just 5% to 6% in 2021 in the United States, the biggest plastic polluter in the world. The low recycling rates are attributed to the many different types of plastic that cannot be recycled together due to their unique chemical additives. As a result, plastic waste often ends up in landfills, water sources, and the environment, contributing to the already overwhelming presence of plastic pollution.

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