Omar Khalid
Black plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle. Although black plastic can technically be recycled to make other dark-coloured plastic items, the technology used by recycling facilities to sort plastics cannot detect the pigment carbon black, which is often used to dye plastic black. As a result, black plastic is frequently sent to landfills. However, some companies are now using a special type of black plastic that can be detected by NIR technology, and some waste management companies are manually sorting black plastic.
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What You'll Learn
Black plastic is often not recycled due to sorting issues
Black plastic is technically recyclable. However, it often ends up in landfills due to sorting issues at recycling facilities.
When plastic packaging goes into recycling, it is sorted into different types of plastics using near-infrared (NIR) technology. This technology uses lasers that analyze how light is reflected by different materials to sort them into categories for proper handling. However, carbon black, the most common pigment used to dye plastic black, is undetectable by NIR scanners as it absorbs infrared light. As a result, black plastic items typically get skipped during the sorting process and continue down the belt rather than being diverted for recycling.
The latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that in 2018, nearly 27 million tons of plastic ended up in landfills. Black plastic, which makes up 15% of all plastic recyclables, contributes significantly to this problem. To address this issue, some companies are minimizing the use of carbon black or using a special type of black plastic that can be detected by NIR technology. Additionally, some waste management companies are manually sorting black plastic or fine-tuning their NIR equipment to accommodate black plastic.
The lack of recycled black plastic has led to a demand being met with e-waste, which contains toxic chemicals. These chemical-laced plastics are then turned into everyday items such as children's toys, utensils, and coffee stirrers. While safety regulations limit the amounts of these chemicals in electronics, there are currently no government regulations covering the safety of recycled black plastic items. As a result, high levels of toxic chemicals prohibited in electronics are legally present in recycled black plastic products.
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Black plastic can be recycled and sold to be reused
Although black plastic is technically recyclable, it often ends up in landfills as it is undetectable by the near-infrared scanners used in recycling facilities. These scanners use infrared light to sort plastics by colour, but carbon black—the pigment used for dying plastic black—absorbs this light, making it invisible to the scanners. As a result, black plastic items are often skipped during sorting and end up in landfills instead of being recycled.
However, black plastic can be recycled and sold to be reused. Some waste management companies are now manually sorting black plastic or fine-tuning their near-infrared (NIR) equipment to detect a special type of black plastic that can be sorted in the recycling system. Additionally, some recycling plants can remove the black colour and create near-virgin plastic from black containers, or separate clear PET toppers to reduce plastics back into oil products.
The demand for recycled black plastic is often met with e-waste, which contains toxic chemicals such as phthalates, flame retardants, and heavy metals. These chemical-laced plastics are then turned into everyday items such as children's toys, utensils, and coffee stirrers. However, there are currently no government regulations covering the safety of recycled black plastic items, which means high levels of toxic chemicals that are prohibited in electronics are legal in black plastic items.
To properly recycle black plastic, it is important to check with your local authority, as the recyclability of black plastic varies depending on the technology available in your area. Some regions may accept black plastic, while others may require you to remove black-dyed items from your recycling bin.
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Black plastic may contain toxic chemicals
Black plastic is often not recycled due to the challenges in sorting it during the recycling process. This is because the near-infrared (NIR) technology used in materials recovery facilities (MRFs) cannot detect carbon black, the pigment commonly used to dye plastic black. As a result, black plastic items typically end up in landfills instead of being recycled.
However, black plastic may also contain toxic chemicals, which further complicates the issue of its recyclability. Due to the lack of recycled black plastic, the demand is often met with e-waste, or discarded electronics, which can contain harmful substances such as phthalates, flame retardants, and heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, nickel, chromium, and mercury. These e-waste plastics are melted down and mixed with food-grade plastics to create new products, including children's toys, utensils, and coffee stirrers. There are currently no government regulations covering the safety of recycled black plastic items, which means that high levels of toxic chemicals prohibited in electronics are legally present in these everyday items.
Additionally, black plastic has been found to contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have carcinogenic properties. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified carbon black as "possibly carcinogenic to humans." While it is not yet known if carbon black leaches out of black plastic containers into food during microwaving, it is generally recommended to avoid microwaving food in any color of plastic container.
To address the issue of toxic chemicals in black plastic, some businesses are moving away from using black plastic in food packaging, opting for clear plastic or special types of black plastic that can be detected by NIR technology. However, clear plastic may not always be a suitable alternative, as it cannot be used for certain products like ready meal trays.
It is important for consumers to be aware of the potential presence of toxic chemicals in black plastic and to make informed choices when purchasing products. Checking with local authorities or waste management companies is also advisable, as some areas may have specific guidelines or capabilities for recycling black plastic.
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Black plastic items are common in kitchens and bathrooms
While black plastic can technically be recycled to make other dark-colored plastic items, the reality is that most of it is not recycled due to the challenges in sorting. This has led to a lack of recycled black plastic, which has resulted in the use of toxic e-waste to meet the demand for black plastic. This e-waste contains chemicals such as phthalates, flame retardants, and heavy metals, which are mixed with food-grade plastics to create new black plastic items. Unfortunately, there are currently no government regulations covering the safety of recycled black plastic items, which means high levels of toxic chemicals can be present.
To address the issue of black plastic not being recycled, some businesses are moving away from using black plastic in their packaging, opting for clear plastic instead. Clear plastic can be recycled and used to make new clear plastic as well as colored plastic. In other cases, companies are using a special type of black plastic that can be detected by NIR technology, allowing it to be sorted and recycled. Organizations like WRAP in the UK are working with the industry to implement this two-stage solution. Additionally, some waste management companies are manually sorting black plastic to ensure it is recycled.
As consumers, it's important to be aware of the challenges surrounding black plastic recycling. While it's not always possible to avoid black plastic products entirely, we can make more informed choices by checking with local authorities and waste management companies to understand the recycling capabilities in our area. By reducing our consumption of black plastic and properly disposing of or repurposing these items, we can help minimize the environmental impact of this hard-to-recycle material.
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Black plastic can be manually sorted
Black plastic is technically recyclable, but it often ends up in landfills as it is undetectable during automated recycling processes. Materials recovery facilities (MRFs) use near-infrared (NIR) technology to scan and sort items into categories for proper handling. However, NIR scanners cannot detect carbon black, the pigment commonly used to dye plastic black. As a result, black plastic items typically get skipped and continue down the belt instead of being diverted for recycling.
To address this issue, some waste management companies are manually sorting black plastic. In addition, businesses are moving away from using black plastic in food packaging, opting for clear plastic instead. Clear plastic can be recycled into new clear plastic or coloured plastic. In cases where black plastic is necessary, such as ready meal trays, companies are using a special type of black plastic that can be detected by NIR technology.
The Consumer Goods Forum has identified undetectable carbon black as a problematic plastic and is working to remove it from packaging. Organisations like WRAP in the UK are also collaborating with the industry to implement a two-stage solution to improve the recyclability of black plastic.
While recycling black plastic can be challenging due to the limitations of technology, there are ongoing efforts to improve the process. It is always a good idea to check with your local authority or waste management company to understand their specific capabilities and requirements for recycling black plastic.
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Frequently asked questions
Black plastic can be recycled to make other dark-coloured plastic items. However, it often goes undetected by the near-infrared scanners used to sort plastic items for recycling. As a result, black plastic often ends up in landfills.
The scanners use infrared light to sort the plastics by colour, and carbon black—the pigment used for dying plastic black—absorbs infrared light. Therefore, the scanners do not "see" black plastic.
Some waste management companies are manually sorting black plastic. Others are using a special type of black plastic that can be detected by NIR technology.
The demand for recycled black plastic is often met with e-waste, which contains toxic chemicals such as phthalates, flame retardants, and heavy metals. These chemical-laced plastics are then turned into children's toys, single-use utensils, and other items.
