Maya Ellison
Plastic is not designed to be recycled and loses its desirable properties with each attempt. From a recycling bin, plastics are sent to waste-sorting facilities, where they are sorted by type and baled. The sorted plastic is then transported to another facility to be sorted by colour, shredded, sanitized, melted down, and moulded into smaller pieces. These pieces are then purchased, melted again, and fashioned into new products. However, the quality of the plastic diminishes with each cycle, and it becomes more toxic. The recycling process is also expensive and cumbersome, with new virgin plastics often being cheaper than recycled plastics. As a result, the demand for recycled plastic is weak, and the global recycling rate for plastic is low, with most plastic ending up in landfills or the environment as pollution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic designed to be recycled | No |
| Plastic is recycled on a large scale | No |
| Plastic is costly to recycle | Yes |
| Plastic is sorted feasibly | No |
| Plastic is toxic | Yes |
| Plastic is recycled into food contact standards | No |
| Plastic is recycled | Rare |
| Plastic is downcycled | Yes |
| Plastic is recycled indefinitely | No |
| Plastic causes pollution | Yes |
| Plastic ends up in landfills | Yes |
| Plastic is incinerated | Yes |
| Plastic is biodegradable | No |
| Plastic is recycled more than once | Rare |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic is rarely recycled and often ends up in landfill
Plastic is not designed to be recycled and, as a result, rarely is. When plastic is recycled, manufacturers mix in a large portion of newly made plastic or toxic additives to restore some of its desirable properties. However, the quality of the plastic diminishes, and it becomes more toxic with each attempt. Recycling plastic is also expensive, particularly when it comes to collecting, sorting, and reprocessing plastic items. It requires huge amounts of infrastructure, equipment, water, and energy.
The value of truly recycled plastics has always been low, and the production of new plastics is far more profitable than recycling. The plastic and petrochemical industries have attempted to control the narrative around plastics and recycling. The promise of recycling has been used to sell more plastic, even when companies knew it would never work on a large scale. The international recycling symbol has been placed on containers that cannot be recycled, creating "unrealistic expectations" about how much plastic can be recycled.
The plastic that is collected for recycling often ends up in landfills or is burned. In 2018, China, the world's largest market for recycled waste, prohibited 24 types of waste from entering the country, arguing that what was coming in was too contaminated. The present dumping ground of choice is Malaysia, where British and European waste has been found in illegal dumps. Thailand and India have announced bans on the import of foreign plastic waste.
Environmentalists and lawmakers in some states are pushing for legislation that bans single-use plastics. The real solution is to switch to systems of reuse and refill.
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The plastic that is recycled becomes more toxic with each attempt
Plastic is not designed to be recycled, and its quality diminishes with each attempt at recycling. The degradation of resin properties and performance occurs during the initial fabrication, through aging, and in any reclamation process. The recycled plastic becomes more toxic with each attempt at recycling as it contains a toxic cocktail of chemicals that pose a severe health threat to people and the planet.
A recent study found that between 6 to 13% of plastic processed in recycling may be released into water or the air as microplastics. The study also found that recycling plastic can spread microplastics into the environment, even when a filtration system is installed. These microplastics can enter our bodies through the food and water we consume and the air we breathe.
Additionally, recycled plastic has been found to contain toxic chemicals, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals, which present risks to recycling workers and consumers, as well as to the environment. Recycled plastics often contain higher levels of chemicals that can be harmful to human health, such as toxic flame retardants, benzene, and other carcinogens. These chemicals can cause changes to the body's natural hormone levels and lead to various health issues.
The process of recycling plastic can also be costly and inefficient, requiring a large amount of infrastructure, equipment, water, and energy. The market demand for recycled plastic is also low, as some industries prefer to use cheap, fossil-based virgin plastics.
Overall, the attempt to recycle plastic can have negative consequences on the environment and human health, and it is clear that the only real solution to ending plastic pollution is to significantly reduce plastic production and improve waste disposal technologies.
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Plastic is not designed to be recycled and is costly to do so
Plastic is not designed to be recycled, and even when it is, which is rare, manufacturers mix in a large portion of newly made plastic or toxic additives to restore some of its desirable properties. Its quality diminishes, and it becomes more toxic with each attempt at recycling.
Recycling plastic is costly, especially when it comes to collecting, sorting, and reprocessing plastic items. It requires huge amounts of infrastructure, equipment, water, and energy. The value of truly recycled plastics has always been low, and government subsidies make the production of new plastics more profitable than recycling.
The global waste industry, worth nearly $1,300 billion, is made up of a wide network of businesses, governments, and individuals, all vying for a share of the profits. This trash trade has grown significantly over time, with plastics production and per capita waste generation, while actual recycling makes up a very small share of the market.
The transportation of plastic contributes to plastic pollution, as plastic easily blows, rolls, or bounces away, or is picked up by animals. This escaped plastic waste enters the environment, breaks apart into particles, and eventually enters our bodies when we eat, drink, and breathe.
In addition, plastic with food residues usually cannot be recycled. Only good quality, clean plastics can be recycled, and the process is energy-intensive and becomes more costly as additional steps are added. The market is fragmented, making it difficult for sellers of recycled plastic to find buyers. Recycling facilities are spread out unevenly, and in some areas, there is no machinery to allow for efficient selection and recycling.
The low reprocessing rates are at odds with plans from the oil and gas industry, which has misled the public about the recyclability of plastic. Lobbyists from the industry claim they plan to recycle every piece of plastic they make by 2040 but have been unable to explain how they will achieve this.
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Plastic waste is often contaminated by other materials
The contamination of plastic waste can occur when non-recyclable materials are placed in recycling bins or when dirty food containers are mixed with recyclable items. This contamination can render entire batches of recyclables unusable for recycling. For example, in the United States, 30% of mixed recyclables were contaminated by non-recyclable materials and ended up polluting China's countryside and oceans. This issue has led to China banning the import of most plastics and other materials that do not meet their purity standards.
The global trade of plastic waste exacerbates the problem, as waste is often shipped to countries with insufficient infrastructure for safe and environmentally sound management. As a result, plastic waste is burned, abandoned, or ends up in rivers and oceans, causing widespread environmental damage and biodiversity loss.
Additionally, the recycling process itself can introduce contamination. During recycling, manufacturers often mix newly made plastic or toxic additives with shredded and melted-down plastic waste to restore desirable properties. However, this makes the recycled plastic more toxic and of lower quality, reducing its potential for reuse.
The contamination of plastic waste highlights the challenges in effectively managing and recycling plastic materials. It underscores the need for improved waste management practices, consumer education on proper waste disposal, and the development of more sustainable alternatives to reduce the reliance on plastic.
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Plastic waste can cause pollution and harm to the environment
Plastic is not designed to be recycled and recycling plastic is expensive. The process of collecting, sorting, and reprocessing plastic items requires huge amounts of infrastructure, equipment, water, and energy. The value of truly recycled plastics—plastic turned back into plastic—has always been low.
Despite this, the global waste industry is determined to extract every last penny of value from plastic waste. This industry is made up of a wide network of businesses, governments, and individuals vying for a share of the nearly $1,300 billion that is generated annually in the global waste market.
The trash trade has grown significantly over time, with plastics production and per capita waste generation increasing, while actual plastic recycling makes up a very small share of the market. Plastic waste is often transported to other countries, where it is burned or abandoned, eventually finding its way into rivers and oceans.
Microplastics have also been detected in human organs, such as the liver, kidneys, and placenta, and in food and drinks, including tap water, beer, and salt. Several chemicals used in plastic production are carcinogenic and can cause developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune disorders.
Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people's livelihoods, food production capabilities, and social well-being. It threatens human health, affects food and water safety, burdens economic activities, and contributes to climate change.
Additionally, the transportation of plastic contributes to plastic pollution, as plastics easily escape during transit and enter the environment, where they begin to break apart into plastic particles that enter our bodies when we eat, drink, and breathe.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic waste travels through various channels, from household disposal to recycling centres and landfills. About 50% of plastic waste ends up in landfills.
By 2015, the world produced around 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste, only 9% of which was recycled and only ~1% was recycled more than once.
Plastic is not designed to be recycled. Its quality diminishes, and it becomes more toxic with each attempt. Recycling is also expensive, particularly collecting, sorting, and reprocessing plastic items.
