Alexei Volkov
Plastic is everywhere, and it's cheap to make and profitable. However, it is becoming an increasingly large problem. In 2018, the United States generated 35.7 million tons of plastic, 12.2% of all municipal solid waste generation. While recycling programs have been instituted in many cities, it has been revealed that much of the plastic that is placed in recycling bins is not actually recycled. In fact, a Greenpeace report found that most plastic ends up in landfills, and only about 8.7% of plastic was recycled in 2018. This is due to a variety of reasons, including the high cost of collecting and sorting plastic, the existence of thousands of different types of plastic that cannot be melted down together, and the fact that new plastic is cheaper and easier to produce than recycled plastic. As a result, plastic waste is accumulating in landfills, the ocean, and even in the air we breathe and the food we eat.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic recycling rate in the US | 8.7% in 2018 |
| Plastic generation in the US | 35.7 million tons in 2015 |
| Plastic sent to landfills | 27 million tons in 2018 |
| Plastic combusted in MSW | 5.6 million tons in 2018 |
| Plastic recycling rate of PET bottles and jars | 29.1% in 2018 |
| Plastic recycling rate of HDPE natural bottles | 29.3% in 2018 |
| Plastic recycling facilities that accept plastic cups and containers | 52% |
| Plastic cups and containers that are actually repurposed | <5% |
| Plastic bottles collected for recycling that were turned into new things | 21% in 2017 |
| Coca-Cola's plastic packaging production in 2017 | 3 million tons |
| Percentage of tap water in the US contaminated by microplastics | 95% |
| US plastic waste shipped overseas | >1 million tons per year |
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What You'll Learn
- Plastic waste often ends up in landfills, not recycling plants
- Plastic is expensive to collect and sort, and degrades quickly
- Plastic is cheap to produce, so recycled plastic has few markets
- Plastic is often shipped to other countries to be recycled
- Plastic is difficult to recycle, so it's often incinerated
Plastic waste often ends up in landfills, not recycling plants
Plastic waste is an ever-growing problem, with plastic production ramping up and very little of it being recycled. In the US, the recycling rate for all types of plastic was only 8.7% in 2018, and while some specific types of plastic containers have a higher recycling rate, the overall picture is that plastic waste often ends up in landfills, not recycling plants.
A Greenpeace report found that people may be dutifully putting plastic into their recycling bins, but almost none of it is actually recycled. Instead, it is sent to a landfill. This is due to a number of factors, including the fact that plastic is expensive to collect and sort, and there are thousands of different types that cannot be melted down together. Plastic also degrades quickly, and the more it is reused, the more toxic it becomes.
The result is that plastic trash has few markets, and even when it is sent to a recycling facility, it often ends up being put into a landfill. This is a particular issue for single-use plastics, which are small and easily fall into the crevices of recycling machinery, and many recycling centres do not accept them. Plastic waste in landfills has a significant environmental impact, as it does not chemically degrade but breaks apart to form microplastics, which have been found in the ocean, snow and rainfall, the air, and even in human blood and breast milk.
To address the problem of plastic waste, the production of plastic needs to be reduced, and more recyclable and sustainable alternatives need to be developed. Strategies to reduce, recycle, and convert waste into energy need to be prioritised, and consumer behaviour needs to change, with consumers avoiding the purchase of short-lived, single-use plastic products.
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Plastic is expensive to collect and sort, and degrades quickly
Plastic recycling is a complex and challenging process, and the reality is that it is not as effective as many people believe. The process of collecting, sorting, and repurposing plastic is expensive and time-consuming, and the quality of the recycled material degrades quickly. This is a significant issue that requires attention and action from individuals, industries, and policymakers alike.
Firstly, it is essential to recognize that plastic is challenging and costly to collect and sort. Waste management experts highlight the vast array of plastic types available today, numbering in the thousands, and each type has unique chemical compositions and properties. This diversity of plastics means they cannot be melted down together for recycling, necessitating separate collection and sorting processes. The complexity and cost of sorting are further exacerbated by the need to separate contaminated plastics, which can result from mixing with non-recyclable items or food waste.
The degradation of plastic with each reuse poses another significant challenge. Plastic loses quality and becomes more toxic with each recycling cycle, limiting its potential for reuse to only one or two cycles. This rapid degradation contrasts sharply with the durability and longevity of virgin plastic, which is cheap and easy to produce. The low cost and high quality of new plastic make it a more attractive option for manufacturers, reducing the demand for recycled plastic.
The challenges of plastic recycling have led to low reprocessing rates. Despite the best efforts of individuals to recycle, much of the plastic intended for recycling ends up in landfills. For instance, a Greenpeace report revealed that while 52% of recycling facilities in the US accept plastic cups and containers, less than 5% of this plastic is actually repurposed. Similarly, the National Association for PET Container Resources found that only 21% of plastic bottles collected for recycling were transformed into new products.
The issue of plastic waste extends beyond recycling rates. Even when plastic is not recycled, it persists in the environment, breaking down into microplastics that contaminate our oceans, snow, rainfall, air, and even our bodies. This widespread pollution underscores the urgency of addressing plastic waste through a combination of reduced plastic production, improved recycling technologies, and the development of sustainable alternatives.
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Plastic is cheap to produce, so recycled plastic has few markets
Plastic is cheap to produce, and recycling it is expensive. This is because recycling plastic is an energy-intensive process that becomes more costly as additional steps such as post-consumer selection and washing are added. The new plastic is still relatively cheap to produce and creates a competitive environment in which added costs to the process make recycled plastic significantly more expensive. Furthermore, in countries where the price of electricity is high, it might be more profitable to incinerate plastic rather than recycle it. The market is also fragmented, making it difficult for sellers of recycled plastic to find buyers.
The low cost of producing new plastic, coupled with the high cost of recycling, means that recycled plastic has few markets. Waste management experts say that another problem with plastic is that it is expensive to collect and sort. There are now thousands of different types of plastic, and none of them can be melted down together. Plastic also degrades after one or two uses, and the more it is reused, the more toxic it becomes.
The crisis is worsening as the industry plans to triple plastic production by 2050. In 2018, the recycling rate for PET bottles and jars was 29.1%, and the rate for HDPE natural bottles was 29.3%. While overall the amount of recycled plastics is relatively small, the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant. For example, in 2017, the National Association for PET Container Resources, an industry trade group, found that 21% of the plastic bottles collected for recycling were turned into new products.
Environmentalists and lawmakers in some states are pushing for legislation banning single-use plastics and encouraging "bottle bills," which pay customers to bring back their plastic bottles. These bills have led to successful recycling rates for plastic bottles in some states, but they have faced steep resistance from plastic and oil industry lobbyists.
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Plastic is often shipped to other countries to be recycled
Plastic is lightweight, durable, and cheap to produce, making it a popular material choice. However, these same qualities contribute to its persistence in the environment, leading to plastic waste becoming a significant global issue.
In the United States, the recycling rate for plastic is relatively low, with an estimated 8.7% of plastics recycled in 2018, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA's data also revealed that in the same year, landfills received a staggering 27 million tons of plastic, highlighting the inadequacies of the country's recycling infrastructure.
To address this issue, the US has historically relied on shipping its plastic waste abroad for recycling, with China being the primary recipient. For decades, China's robust recycling industry processed significant volumes of America's plastic refuse, utilizing it to manufacture new products. However, this dynamic shifted in 2017 when China implemented stringent restrictions on the import of contaminated or challenging-to-recycle plastics.
The closure of this key recycling outlet has left the US scrambling for alternatives, resulting in its waste plastic being redirected to various other countries. This has led to a "ping-pong" effect, with America's plastic waste bouncing from one country to another, often ending up in places already overwhelmed by plastic pollution.
The export of plastic waste to developing nations has severe environmental and social repercussions. For instance, in Cambodia, where plastic waste from the US has ended up, the lack of an established recycling system means that much of this imported plastic contributes to local waste accumulation, exacerbating the country's waste management challenges.
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Plastic is difficult to recycle, so it's often incinerated
Plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle. It is composed of several different polymer types, which means that different plastics melt at different temperatures. This makes it almost impossible to recycle different plastics together. Before plastics can be recycled, they need to be separated, which is a time-consuming and costly process. For example, black plastic food trays are difficult to separate because their dark colour makes it hard for sorting machines to spot them.
Additionally, there are thousands of different types of plastic, each requiring a unique recycling process. Shampoo bottles, for instance, are made from multiple types of polymeric materials, including adhesives or glues, which are different types of polymers that require a unique recycling process. Different colours of plastic also require different treatments, as they are caused by different pigmented additives.
The process of recycling plastic is also very energy-intensive. While it is energetically easy to produce plastic, recycling it requires much more energy. This means that, although researchers can develop unique solutions in a laboratory setting, these solutions are not always economically feasible.
Plastic also degrades in quality when it is recycled, a process known as downcycling. This means that recycled plastic often has to be mixed with virgin plastics and other materials to be valuable. However, as plastic is recycled multiple times, it becomes more and more toxic due to the chemicals added during the recycling process and those absorbed throughout its lifecycle. This means that recycled plastic can only be recycled a limited number of times before it becomes unusable.
Due to these difficulties, plastic is often incinerated or sent to landfills instead of being recycled. In 2018, 27 million tons of plastic were sent to landfills in the United States, and 5.6 million tons were incinerated. Although some types of plastic are recycled more often, such as PET bottles and jars, which had a 29.1% recycling rate in 2018, the overall recycling rate for plastic is relatively low.
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Frequently asked questions
In 2018, the recycling rate for PET bottles and jars was 29.1%, and the rate for HDPE natural bottles was 29.3%. However, it is important to note that the recycling rates for other plastic products are much lower. For example, only about 5% of plastic cups and containers are repurposed, with the rest ending up in landfills. Overall, the amount of recycled plastics in the US is relatively small, with an 8.7% recycling rate in 2018.
Plastic is challenging to recycle because it is expensive to collect and sort, and there are thousands of different types that cannot be melted down together. Additionally, plastic degrades after one or two uses, and it becomes more toxic the more it is reused. Furthermore, there is a lack of demand for recycled plastic as virgin plastics are cheaper.
Plastic that is not recycled often ends up in landfills, both domestically and internationally. In the past, the US sent a significant amount of its plastic waste to China for recycling. However, China has restricted the import of certain recyclables, including most plastics, leading to a crisis in the US recycling system. As a result, US plastic waste has been shipped to other countries, contributing to the global plastic waste problem.
The recycling process can help reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills and the environment. However, it is important to note that the recycling process itself can also have environmental impacts, such as the release of toxins during incineration. Additionally, microplastics, formed from broken-down plastics, have been found in the ocean, snow and rainfall, the air, and even in human blood and breast milk.
To improve plastic recycling in the USA, there needs to be a focus on reducing plastic consumption and improving recyclability. This includes developing better, more recyclable products and finding sustainable alternatives. Additionally, there needs to be a shift towards circularity, extending the lifespan of plastic products and finding ways to reuse and recycle them. Policy changes, such as banning plastic bags and straws, can also help reduce plastic waste and encourage recycling.
