Ethan Clarke
Plastic waste is a pressing environmental concern, with the vast majority disposed of in non-eco-friendly ways, resulting in polluted oceans, landfills, and ecological damage. While recycling plastic is critical to waste management and improving the environment, the reality is that only a small percentage of plastic waste is actually recycled. This is due to a range of factors, including the design of plastic products, the use of additives and colourants, and the diversity of plastic types, which make the recycling process challenging. Despite these challenges, advancements in technology and innovations in recycling systems are offering new solutions to improve the recyclability of plastics and address the environmental impact of plastic waste.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic recycling rate in 2018 | 9% |
| Plastic recycling rate in the UK | 7% |
| Plastic recycling rate in the US for HDPE bottles | 30% |
| Plastic recycling rate in India, Europe and South Korea | >50% |
| Plastic recycling rate for PET in 2011 | 7.5 million tons |
| Plastic used in packaging that is disposed of after one use | 95% |
| Plastic that ends up in landfills or the environment | 72% |
| Plastic that has been incinerated | 19% |
| Plastic that is recycled | 9% |
| Plastic that is recycled in the US (PP) | 1-3% |
| Plastic that is recycled in the US (LDPE) | Low |
| Plastic that is recycled in the world (PET) | Most |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic recycling rates are low
Firstly, the design of plastic products presents challenges to the recycling process. Many plastic products are ""not designed with circularity in mind," according to Jeremy Walters, sustainability ambassador for Republic Services. They are intended for single-use and often contain additives and colorants that make recycling more difficult. Judith Enck, a former regional administrator at the EPA, highlights that these production processes hinder recycling and contribute to plastic pollution.
Secondly, the diversity of plastic types complicates the recycling process. There are over 267 different types of plastic polymers, and when these polymers are mixed together, it can lead to defects in the manufacturing process of recycled products. This diversity requires advanced processing facilities to create a high-quality source stock of recycled plastic, and currently, many regions lack this infrastructure.
Thirdly, the economic viability of recycling plastic is a significant factor. In some cases, it is still cheaper to produce new plastic from raw materials than to reuse old plastic. Small quantities of plastic can make recycling unprofitable due to low efficiencies and high costs. Additionally, certain types of plastic, such as LDPE, are very cheap and low quality, making their recycling financially unattractive.
Lastly, the lack of access to formal waste management services in many regions contributes to low recycling rates. Globally, approximately 3.5 billion people lack access to these services, and in most developing countries, 80-90% of recycling activities are informal. This informality can create challenges in ensuring efficient and effective recycling processes, and the lack of infrastructure in these regions further exacerbates the issue.
While recycling rates are low, it is important to note that efforts are being made to improve the situation. For example, the Closed Loop Fund in the US provides financing for projects that scale recycling infrastructure and technology. Additionally, some countries, such as India, Europe, and South Korea, have recycling rates higher than 50%, and organizations like Plastics for Change are working to address the challenges in the recycling industry.
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Plastic recycling methods
Plastic recycling is critical to improving the environment and bettering waste management solutions. It is the process of collecting waste materials, transforming them back into raw materials, and processing them into new products.
There are two main ways to recycle plastic: mechanical recycling and chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling is the traditional method that has been in use for decades and is responsible for the vast majority of plastic recycling around the world. It uses grinding, washing, sorting, and reprocessing to repurpose plastic material. The plastic is shredded, ground, washed, melted, and forced through an extruder to form pellets, which are then sold to manufacturers. The plastic recyclate can then be converted into other products, substituting for the use of virgin plastics.
Chemical recycling, on the other hand, is a newer technology that breaks down the polymers in plastics to form new polymers that can be reused. It can deal with plastics that may not be suitable for mechanical recycling. The first chemical recycling process is pyrolysis, where polymers are heated in the absence of oxygen and break down into smaller parts that behave like a type of oil. This oil can be used as feedstock in the petrochemical industry for the manufacture of chemicals, synthetic rubber, and plastics. The second process is gasification, which involves heating polymers in the presence of oxygen and water to produce a mixture of gases called syngas, which can be used as a chemical feedstock. Finally, depolymerization is a process that cuts down polymers into monomers to produce a starting material for new plastic.
Despite these recycling methods, plastic waste remains a key concern. According to 2018 data, only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled. This is due to various factors such as the design of plastic products, the use of additives and colorants, and the diversity of plastic types, making the recycling process challenging. Additionally, some plastics are not widely accepted for recycling due to financial considerations, such as LDPE, or the lack of infrastructure to recycle them, such as PVC.
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Plastic recycling barriers
Plastic recycling is critical to improving the environment and bettering waste management solutions. However, there are several barriers to recycling plastics. Firstly, plastic is not a single material but a diverse category encompassing several hundred different kinds of materials with unique properties. This makes the recycling process more challenging as different types of plastic are often combined in manufacturing processes, making it difficult to separate and recycle them effectively.
Another barrier to plastic recycling is the design of plastic products. Many products are manufactured in ways that make it difficult to separate and recycle the plastic content. For instance, different types of plastic may be combined or bonded with other materials such as glue or metal screws. This results in plastic waste that cannot be easily disassembled and recycled, leading to incineration or landfill disposal. Additionally, the additives and colorants used in plastic production can complicate the recycling process, further hindering the recyclability of plastic products.
Economic factors also play a significant role in plastic recycling barriers. Virgin raw materials, or new plastics, are sometimes cheaper to produce than recycled plastics, making it financially challenging for recycling facilities to operate profitably. The cost of building and operating recycling facilities can be high, and small quantities of plastic may not be enough to offset these expenses. Furthermore, certain types of plastic, such as LDPE, are very cheap and low quality, making their recycling financially unviable.
Lastly, consumer knowledge and behaviour can impact plastic recycling rates. Many consumers are unsure about what can and cannot be recycled, leading to non-recyclable materials contaminating recyclable streams. This contamination can compromise recycling machinery and hinder the overall recycling process. Educating consumers about proper waste segregation and providing adequate services, such as separate bins and safe recycling centres, are crucial steps in overcoming this barrier.
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Plastic recycling innovations
Plastic recycling is critical to improving the environment and bettering waste management solutions. While recycling any material is beneficial to the environment, recycling plastic has specific benefits. Plastic can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, between 500 and 1000 years for some types, meaning it takes up landfill space and pollutes the environment for longer. Recycling plastic can conserve limited natural resources and energy.
However, plastic is not that easily recyclable. According to 2018 data from the Environmental Protection Agency, only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled. The problem stems, in part, from the design. Overall, plastic is "not designed with circularity in mind". The many additives and colorants used in the production of plastic products make the recycling process difficult.
Despite these challenges, there are several innovations in plastic recycling that are worth noting. One example is the use of PET plastic bottles as a construction material in third-world countries. To create a building's structure, plastic bottles are filled with sand, then stacked and either mudded or cemented together to form a wall.
Another innovation in plastic recycling is the development of advanced recycling technologies, such as pyrolysis, depolymerization, and solvent dissolution. Pyrolysis is a thermal process used to decompose plastic's chemical chains into various lengths of hydrocarbons, which can be refined into plastic or fuel. Solvent dissolution involves applying specific chemical solvents to plastic waste to extract targeted polymers, remove contaminants, or recycle currently unrecyclable waste.
Additionally, smart recycling bins and AI technologies are assisting in the uptake of recycling by simplifying the process. These technologies automatically sort waste, taking away the confusion of which bin or container is suitable for which item.
Overall, while plastic recycling faces challenges, there are ongoing innovations and advancements in technology that offer promising solutions to improve sustainability and reduce plastic waste.
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Plastic recycling by country
Plastic recycling is critical to improving the environment and bettering waste management solutions. However, recycling plastic is not always easy or financially beneficial. In fact, only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled, according to 2018 data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The design of plastic products, which are intended to be used once and then discarded, is partly to blame for this low rate. The many additives and colourants used in the production of plastic products also make the recycling process difficult.
Despite these challenges, some countries are leading the way in plastic recycling. Germany, for example, has introduced a recycling scheme that has helped the country reduce its total waste by 1 million tons every year. Germany recycles 70% of all waste produced, the most in the world. The country has implemented policies that hold companies responsible for the recyclability of their packaging and consumers responsible for the disposal of the goods they purchase. Germany has also introduced the Green Dot policy, which means all recycled packaging must be marked and approved.
Austria has one of the highest recycling rates globally, with 96% of the population separating their waste into recyclable categories. The country has also banned plastic bags since 2020. Similarly, in Vancouver, food scraps are banned from standard waste bins, and it is mandatory to put this waste into a green compost bin. This has the added benefit of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
South Korea has made impressive strides in food waste recycling, increasing its rate from 2% in 1995 to 95%. This success is attributed to the implementation of a food waste fee, where households pay a small monthly fee for each bag of biodegradable food scraps. The country also mandates that all waste must be sorted into specific categories and flattened or compressed before it can be recycled.
In the United Kingdom, San Francisco has implemented a recycling scheme with three categories: compost, recycle, and landfill. The city of Zurich in Switzerland has approximately 12,000 recycling points, with door-to-door collection or recycling collection points. Recycling is mandatory in Switzerland, and failure to do so can result in fines.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, all polymers are, technologically, 100% recyclable. However, only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled, according to 2018 data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The problem is that recycling plastic waste is currently unfeasible and unprofitable. It is also challenging due to the diversity of plastics, with many different applications, forms, and sizes.
The general rule of thumb is that the lower the resin code, the more likely the plastic type is to be easily recyclable. The most widely recycled plastic in the world is PET, which is used to make soft drinks bottles. Other plastics that are widely recycled include HDPE and PP.
Recycled plastic can be used to make new plastic products, such as shampoo bottles, cosmetic caps, and packaging films. It can also be used in construction, for example, plastic bottles can be filled with sand and stacked to form walls.
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