Maya Ellison
Multilayer plastic is a common type of packaging used for food products such as rice, nuts, dried fruit, beef jerky, and chips. It is typically thick, crinkly, and difficult to puncture. While multilayer plastic is effective at keeping food fresh, it is notoriously hard to recycle. This is because multilayer plastic is made from multiple layers of different materials, which require different recycling processes. To recycle multilayer plastic, the layers must first be separated, which is a challenging and costly process that requires significant time and energy. However, some companies, such as Ridwell, Arqlite, ByFusion, and Hydroblox, are working on innovative solutions to recycle multilayer plastic and prevent it from ending up in landfills and the environment.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common Uses | Food packaging, grocery bags, bubble wrap, plastic shipping envelopes |
| Appearance | Thick, crinkly, loud |
| Feel | Unable to push thumb through |
| Composition | Multiple layers of different materials/types of plastic |
| Difficulty of Recycling | Very difficult, requires different processes for different materials |
| Reasons for Difficulty | Time-consuming, expensive, energy-intensive, chemically incompatible layers |
| Solutions | Solvent-Targeted Recovery and Precipitation (STRAP), CreaSolv Process, Newcycling process, sending to specialist waste recycling services |
| Ways to Minimise Consumption | Choosing refillable products, shopping at bulk stores, using personal containers |
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What You'll Learn
Why is multilayer plastic hard to recycle?
Multilayer plastic, also known as multi-layer plastic (MLP) or multi-material multilayer plastic packaging (MMPP), is commonly used in food packaging, especially for dried fruit, nuts, rice, and beef jerky. It is thick, crinkly, and difficult to push a thumb through. Despite being very common, MLP packaging is hard to recycle.
The difficulty in recycling multilayer plastic comes from the fact that it is made from multiple layered materials with different chemical properties. These layers need to be separated before they can be recycled, which is a challenging and time-consuming process. It is relatively easy to combine multiple materials during manufacturing, but much harder to separate them for recycling. This process also consumes a lot of energy and money, which is why most of the recycling industry refuses to recycle this waste. As a result, multilayer plastic often ends up in landfills or the environment, where it decomposes into microplastics that damage the ecosystem.
Another challenge is that multilayer plastic cannot be recycled using traditional plastic recycling technologies like mechanical recycling due to the chemical incompatibility of its layers. To be compatible with existing recycling processes, multilayer plastic scraps would first need to be deconstructed into their constituent resins. While some technologies can do this, such as solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP), there is currently no commercially viable solution.
While there is no mainstream solution for recycling multilayer plastics in the next 5-10 years, some companies like Ridwell are offering multilayer plastic pickup as part of their membership plans. They work with recycling partners such as Arqlite, ByFusion, and Hydroblox to recycle multilayer plastic.
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How to identify multilayer plastic
Multilayer plastic packaging is widely used in the food and medical industries. It is created by combining multiple layers of different polymers to achieve optimal functional properties for various applications. This type of plastic packaging achieves a reduction in weight compared to other packaging products with the same function, resulting in reduced material and transportation costs.
While multilayer plastic offers several advantages, it poses a challenge for recycling systems due to the difficulty in detecting, separating, and processing it. The identification of multilayer plastic is crucial for effective recycling. One common method to identify multilayer plastic packaging is through the use of codes. Packaging that structurally consists of two or more polymers is often identified by the code "7". This code is assigned because Decision 129/97/EC does not include specific codes for these multi-polymer materials.
Additionally, advancements in technology have led to the development of near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) techniques for identifying multilayer plastics. These technologies enable the fast and precise identification of plastic types by analyzing absorption in respective wavelengths. NIR spectroscopy, for instance, has been successfully employed to classify multilayer plastics and assess the impact of various measuring backgrounds on classification accuracy. The use of metallic backgrounds, such as aluminum and gold, has been found to enhance spectral quality and classification accuracy.
Furthermore, the sequence of layers in multilayer plastic samples has been found to have little influence on the spectra, according to laboratory studies. However, glossy samples with printed surfaces can impact the spectra. As the thickness of the multilayer plastic increases, the spectra become more characteristic, making classification easier. These advancements in technology offer promising prospects for the recycling of multilayer plastic packaging, which has not yet been achieved for post-consumer waste.
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Cleaning and drying multilayer plastic
Multilayer plastic is a common type of packaging that is used to store food items such as rice, nuts, dried fruit, beef jerky, and chips. It is also used for water bottles and other food containers. This type of plastic is thick, crinkly, and difficult to recycle.
To recycle multilayer plastic, it must be clean and dry. Here are some detailed steps to clean and dry multilayer plastic for recycling:
Cleaning Multilayer Plastic
- Identify multilayer plastic products in your home. These are usually thick, crinkly plastic bags with a "7" recycling number on them, or no number at all. They are often used for food packaging.
- Sort the multilayer plastic by type. It is usually made up of three different types of plastic, so it is important to separate them before cleaning and recycling.
- Clean the plastic by removing any food or grease residue. This can be done by scraping off any large pieces of food or grease with a spoon or butter knife.
- Rinse the plastic with warm water to remove any remaining residue.
- If the plastic is still greasy, use a mild dish soap and a sponge to scrub the surface gently. Be careful not to scratch the plastic.
- Rinse the plastic with warm water again to remove any soap residue.
Drying Multilayer Plastic
- After the multilayer plastic has been cleaned, it needs to be dried thoroughly.
- Use a clean, absorbent cloth to wipe down the plastic and remove any remaining water droplets.
- Place the plastic in a well-ventilated area to air dry completely. You can also use a hairdryer on a low setting to speed up the drying process.
- Ensure that the plastic is completely dry before sending it for recycling. Touch it to feel if there is any moisture left.
It is important to note that not all recycling facilities accept multilayer plastic. However, more and more facilities are starting to do so. The recycling process for multilayer plastic is more complex than for single-layer plastic, but it is possible. By following the above steps to clean and dry multilayer plastic, you can help ensure that it is ready for recycling.
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Chemical recycling
Multilayer plastic (MLP) packaging is commonly used for food packaging, often for products like dried fruit, nuts, rice, and beef jerky. The qualities that make MLP packaging excellent at keeping food fresh, unfortunately, are the same qualities that make it difficult to recycle. The process of smashing multiple materials together during manufacturing is relatively easy, but it is much harder to separate and properly recycle them.
One example of chemical recycling is solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP). STRAP uses a series of solvent washes guided by thermodynamic calculations of polymer solubility to separate multilayer plastics into their constituent resins. This process has been shown to separate three representative polymer resins—PE, EVOH, and PET—from an actual post-industrial multilayer film with nearly 100% material efficiency.
Other chemical depolymerization processes include Eastman's methanolysis process, IBM's Volcat process, and Ioniqa's catalytic PET process. These technologies are likely more expensive to operate than the STRAP process as they involve more steps.
While chemical recycling of multilayer plastics is a promising solution, it is important to note that there are concerns about costs and genuine environmental benefits. Additionally, it is crucial for MLP to be clean and dry for it to be successfully recycled.
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Closed-loop recycling
Multilayer plastic (MLP) packaging is challenging to recycle at scale. The same qualities that make MLP packaging excellent at keeping food fresh, such as its thickness and crinkliness, also make it difficult to recycle. This is because it is easy to combine multiple materials during manufacturing, but it is much harder to separate and properly recycle them.
While there is currently no mainstream solution for recycling multilayer plastic packaging, there are some innovative recycling partners working on it. For example, Ridwell offers multilayer plastic pickup as part of its Plastic Plus and Unlimited membership plans. Ridwell then sends the plastic to one of its recycling partners: Arqlite, ByFusion, or Hydroblox.
Additionally, there are two technologies being commercialized in Europe and Asia: the Newcycling process operated by APK AG and the CreaSolv Process operated by Unilever and the Fraunhofer Institute. Both technologies are based on the selective dissolution of polyolefins in hydrocarbon solvents. These examples demonstrate that solvent-based technologies are realistic, near-term approaches for recycling multilayer plastics.
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Frequently asked questions
Multilayer plastic is plastic packaging made from multiple layered materials. It is loud, crinkly, and thick, and it won't easily allow a thumb to push through it. You'll find it most often in packaging containing foods like rice, nuts, dried fruit, and beef jerky.
It consists of layers with different materials that require different recycling processes. Therefore, the layers need to be separated before it can be recycled. The recycling process consumes huge energy, time, and cost. That’s why most of the recycling industry refuses to recycle this waste.
While there is no mainstream solution for recycling multilayer plastic, some companies like Ridwell offer multilayer plastic pickup as part of their membership plans. They get the multilayer plastic to their recycling partners: Arqlite, ByFusion, or Hydroblox. Arqlite uses a high-grade manufacturing process to turn multilayer plastic into leach-free, microplastic-free artificial stone. ByFusion converts plastic waste into a high-performing, advanced building material called ByBlock. Hydroblox creates drainage material using 100% landfill-bound plastic and an environmentally-friendly process.
