The Dark Truth Of Plastic Incineration

Plastic is a cheap, versatile, and sterile material used in a variety of applications, including construction, home appliances, medical instruments, and food packaging. However, when plastic waste is mismanaged, it becomes an environmental pollutant. While incineration is one form of waste management, it is important to consider its environmental impacts, such as the production of carbon dioxide (CO2), a primary driver of global climate change. According to estimates, about 25% of global plastic waste was incinerated in 2015, with recycling rates being significantly lower at 9%. In the United States specifically, the incineration of plastic waste is prominent, with some states sending plastics collected for recycling to incinerators.

The US incinerates more plastic than it recycles

The United States has been facing a waste crisis, with a large amount of the blame being put on plastics. In 2018, the US generated 35.7 million tons of plastic, which was 12.2% of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. While the amount of recycled plastics is relatively small, about 3 million tons, resulting in an 8.7% recycling rate in 2018. This means that the US recycled only about 2% of its municipal plastic waste in domestic facilities.

The US has been accused of blocking international efforts to limit plastic waste, including banning single-use water bottles and plastic bags. In addition, the US has been criticized for its low recycling rate compared to other developed countries. For instance, Americans recycle 35% of their waste, while Germany recycles 68% of its waste.

The low recycling rate in the US is due to several factors. Firstly, product manufacturers prefer new plastic due to its higher material quality and supply certainty at a lower cost. Recycled plastic poses contamination and delivery risks, resulting in higher costs that manufacturers want to avoid. Secondly, the costs of recycling include many trucks and drivers to collect the widely dispersed waste, labor, and equipment to sort and process the waste.

Instead of recycling, the US has been incinerating its plastic waste. In 2018, the total amount of plastic waste sent to incineration was likely at least as much as in 2015, with some reports claiming that six times more plastic waste is burned in the US than is recycled. While incineration facilities are called "Waste-to-Energy", their primary purpose is to destroy material and reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills. The plastic waste is burned into CO2 and water, and the heat generated is used to make steam, which produces power. However, burning plastic is not a sustainable solution as it has a higher lifecycle carbon footprint than renewable energy or power generated from natural gas combustion.

Incineration is not material recovery, it is material destruction

Plastic is a versatile and valuable material used in construction, home appliances, medical instruments, and food packaging. However, it becomes an environmental pollutant when not properly managed. Incineration, or burning, of plastic waste is a common method of disposal, but it is not a form of material recovery. Instead, it is material destruction.

When plastic waste is incinerated, it is burned into carbon dioxide and water. The heat generated produces steam, which can be used to generate power. While incineration facilities are often called "Waste-to-Energy," their primary purpose is to destroy material and reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills. This distinction is crucial because it highlights that incineration does not recover or reuse the plastic material itself but rather converts it into a different form, primarily carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.

The practice of incinerating plastic waste is prevalent, especially in certain regions. For example, in the United States, it was estimated that in 2018, more than six times the amount of plastic waste was burned compared to what was domestically recycled. This disparity is partly due to the higher costs and risks associated with using recycled plastic, making it less desirable for manufacturers. Additionally, the economics of recycling are challenging, as virgin plastic, often subsidized by fossil fuel subsidies, is cheaper than recycled plastic, creating a price disparity that discourages the use of recycled materials.

Furthermore, the issue of contamination and process losses in plastic recycling cannot be overlooked. According to a report by NAPCOR, about 29.2% of PET beverage bottles in the U.S. were collected for recycling, but only 20.9% were ultimately converted into recycled material due to contamination and other factors. This means that a significant portion of the collected plastic ends up being incinerated or disposed of in landfills.

While incineration may help reduce landfill waste, it does not address the core issue of plastic pollution. To effectively tackle plastic pollution, a systemic change is required, including improved waste management strategies and a fundamental shift in our relationship with plastic. This shift should be driven by policies and innovations that prioritize the reduction of plastic waste over the destruction of waste through incineration.

Incineration is high in Europe

In Europe, the most common way to dispose of plastic waste is through energy recovery, which involves incineration to turn plastic waste into usable heat, electricity, or fuel. The average annual plastic consumption in Western Europe is around 150kg per person, more than twice the global average of 60kg. While the exact amount of plastic incinerated is not known, it is estimated that about 12% of all plastic ever produced has been incinerated.

The EU's plastic waste problem is significant, with around 30 million tonnes of plastic waste generated in the EU annually. The EU has implemented policies to address this issue, such as the Green Deal, which aims for 55% of plastic packaging waste to be recycled by 2030. However, the current recycling rate for plastic packaging waste falls short of the EU's targets for 2025 and 2030.

The increase in plastic waste incineration in Europe is partly due to China's import ban on plastic waste in 2018, which previously accounted for a significant share of the EU's plastic waste exports. As a result, the amount of plastic waste incinerated in Europe increased by 39% between 2018 and 2021. Turkey now receives nearly 40% of the EU's plastic waste exports, but the remaining gap has led to increased intra-EU waste flows and incineration.

While incineration can be integrated as a 'Waste to Energy' (WtE) solution, it has environmental impacts. Incineration produces carbon dioxide (CO2), a primary driver of global climate change, and releases toxic emissions into the surrounding environment. The efficiency of incineration and the energy mix of the country determine whether incineration has a net positive or negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions. In countries with a lower-carbon energy mix, such as those in Europe, incineration efficiency is typically low, resulting in a net source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Incineration facilities burn more plastic waste

Plastic is a versatile and affordable material used in a wide range of applications, from construction to food packaging. However, when not properly managed, plastic waste becomes an environmental pollutant, with one to two million tonnes of plastic ending up in our oceans each year.

While recycling is often touted as a solution to this problem, the reality is that a significant portion of plastic waste is incinerated. In the United States, for example, it is estimated that six times more plastic waste is burned than is domestically recycled. This is due in part to the higher costs and complexities associated with recycling, as well as the preference of product manufacturers for new plastic due to its higher material quality and supply certainty.

The issue of incineration facilities burning more plastic waste is not unique to the United States. In Europe, incineration is a common method of plastic waste disposal, and it is estimated that globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. The remaining plastic waste is either incinerated, landfilled, or ends up in the environment, including our oceans.

While incineration facilities may help reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills, it is important to note that incineration is not material recovery but material destruction. The plastic waste is burned into CO2 and water, and the heat generated is used to produce energy. However, this process contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and is not a true solution to the plastic crisis.

To effectively address plastic pollution, a combination of improved waste management strategies and a fundamental shift in our relationship with plastic is necessary. This includes promoting the use of recycled materials, investing in waste management infrastructure, and implementing policies that prioritize environmental sustainability over convenience and cost.

Recycling plastic creates plastic waste

Plastic recycling creates plastic waste. Plastic recycling is the processing of plastic waste into other products. It involves the melting and reforming of plastic into other items. This can cause polymer degradation at the molecular level, and requires that waste be sorted by colour and polymer type before processing, which is often complicated and expensive. Errors can lead to material with inconsistent properties, rendering it unappealing to industry.

Although plastic recycling can reduce dependence on landfills, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, it is not without its drawbacks. The recycling process requires energy and water, and can cause pollution. Furthermore, the transportation of plastic contributes to plastic pollution as plastic easily blows away and can be picked up by animals while in transit.

The recycling process itself can also create plastic waste. For example, in the US, about 29.2% of PET beverage bottles were collected for recycling, but only 20.9% of the collected bottles were converted into recycled material. The remaining bottles were disposed of in landfills or destroyed through incineration due to contamination and process losses.

The plastic waste problem is a significant issue. Humans have created around 11 billion metric tons of plastic, surpassing the biomass of all animals, both terrestrial and marine. Plastic waste, if not recycled or disposed of properly, can spread across the environment, causing plastic pollution. As of 2015, approximately 8 million tonnes of waste plastic entered the oceans annually, damaging oceanic ecosystems and forming ocean garbage patches.

To address the plastic waste problem, some countries have implemented extended producer responsibility (EPR) plans, which require producers of plastic bottles and packaging to provide funding for the management of these materials after their initial use. Additionally, some companies are exploring the use of microbes to recycle or clean up plastic waste. For example, a French biotechnology company, Carbios, is working on a process to break down and recycle PET using an engineered enzyme.

Frequently asked questions