Chloe Zhang
Plastic recycling has been advocated since the early 1970s, but it wasn't until the late 1980s that it had a significant impact on plastic waste management. The first plastic recycling mill was built in Pennsylvania in 1972, but plastic recycling has always faced challenges due to economic and technical limitations. In the US, the 1970 Resource Recovery Act directed the nation towards recycling and energy recovery, and the plastics industry lobbied for plastic recycling despite knowing it wasn't economically viable. By the 1960s, public opinion shifted towards environmental concerns, and the first recycling programs linked to these concerns emerged. However, plastic recycling has struggled to keep up with other recyclables such as paper, metal, and glass, with global recycling rates for plastic lagging behind.
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What You'll Learn
Plastic recycling began in 1972
In the 1960s, public opinion towards plastic began to shift. Environmental concerns were rising, and people became aware of the potential risks associated with plastic use. This led to the first recycling programs linked to environmental concerns, but plastic recycling itself was not a common practice yet. The plastic industry, facing increasing criticism, advertised recycling as a solution to divert attention from the negative impacts of plastic.
The 1970 Resource Recovery Act in the US further directed the nation towards recycling and energy recovery. However, plastic recycling faced economic and technical challenges, and it was not until the late 1980s that it had a significant impact on plastic waste management. Even then, the process was not without its issues, as most plastic could not be economically recycled, and recycling rates remained low compared to other materials.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the concept of recycling is not new. The history of recycling goes back centuries, with examples of waste reduction and reuse throughout history. However, the industrial revolution in the 18th century significantly altered humanity's relationship with waste, leading to a rapid increase in trash generation. Despite the challenges, innovations in recycling technology and a growing environmental movement have helped improve recycling rates over the decades.
Today, plastic recycling continues to face obstacles such as downcycling, contamination, and the high costs associated with recycling compared to using new materials. Nevertheless, there is a growing awareness of the importance of reducing waste and increasing sustainability, with concepts like Zero Waste gaining traction in the new millennium. While plastic recycling may have started in 1972, the journey towards effective and sustainable waste management is ongoing.
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The first plastic recycling mill was in Pennsylvania
The history of recycling goes back centuries, with paper recycling in Japan as early as the 9th or 10th century. However, plastic recycling is a much more recent development. The first plastic recycling mill was opened in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, in 1972, marking the beginning of widespread plastic recycling.
The mass adoption of plastic began in the 1950s, with the invention of waterproof, stretchy polyethylene by Canadian inventor Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen. This, along with the mass production of plastic bags by the Swedish company Cellopast in 1965, led to a surge in plastic use. However, by the end of the 1960s, public opinion began to turn against plastic due to growing environmental concerns.
In the early 1970s, the negative impact of plastic waste on the environment became increasingly apparent, and governments and environmental activists started advocating for recycling. The 1970 Resource Recovery Act in the US directed the nation towards recycling and energy recovery, and the first plastic recycling mill in Pennsylvania was established as a result. This mill became the blueprint for all future recycling plants.
Over time, government programs and environmental activists began educating people about recycling and pressured manufacturers to produce plastic that was easier to recycle. These efforts led to the adoption of HDPE and PETE plastic in the 1980s, which were designed with recyclability in mind. The closed-loop triangular symbol to identify plastic resin in packaging was also introduced in 1988, becoming a popular symbol for recycling.
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Plastic recycling is not economically viable
Plastic recycling began in 1972 with the opening of the world's first plastic recycling mill in Pennsylvania. However, plastic recycling is not economically viable due to various reasons. Firstly, the cost of separating plastics is high, and they cannot be melted down together due to the existence of thousands of different types of plastics. This sorting process is essential because recycling plastic requires converting it into its starting chemicals, which involves higher energy and capital costs. Additionally, the low price of oil, the core commodity used to make plastic, reduces the demand for recycled plastic. The profitability of recycling plastic has further decreased due to China's decision to stop importing recyclable waste in 2018, a move followed by other countries.
Moreover, the recycling of plastic has historically faced technical challenges. For example, an April 1973 report stated that "a degradation of resin properties and performance occurs during the initial fabrication, through aging, and in any reclamation process." The report also concluded that sorting plastic is "infeasible." Despite these challenges, the oil and gas industry has been criticized for promoting plastic recycling to sell more plastic, even when they knew it was not economically feasible.
The ineffectiveness of plastic recycling is evident in the low recycling rates. For instance, in 2017, only 21% of the plastic bottles collected for recycling were turned into new products. Similarly, while 52% of recycling facilities in the US accept plastic cups and containers, less than 5% of this plastic is actually repurposed. Overall, the recycling rate for plastic in 2015 was only 19.5%, with the remaining plastic being incinerated or disposed of in landfills.
The challenges of plastic recycling have led to a preference for reduction and reuse as more favorable and long-term solutions for sustainability. While there have been recent improvements in recycling technologies, the economic viability of plastic recycling remains questionable due to the high costs and low demand for recycled plastic.
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Plastic bags were normalised by a Swedish company in 1965
Plastic recycling has a long history, with some sources tracing it back to the 9th century in Japan. However, plastic recycling as we know it today is a more recent phenomenon. The first plastic recycling mill in the world was built in Pennsylvania in 1972. This marked the beginning of widespread plastic recycling, as prior to this, plastic recycling was not economically feasible.
In the lead up to the normalization of plastic bags, there were several key developments in the plastic industry. The Belgian-born American chemist Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the world's first fully synthetic plastic, in 1907. This invention popularized the use of plastic in various industries due to its high resistance to electricity and insulating properties. Later, in the 1950s, Canadian inventor Harry Wasylyk, together with Larry Hansen, created a waterproof and stretchy plastic known as polyethylene, which he used to make his first plastic trash bags.
However, it was in 1965 that plastic bags were truly normalized. That year, the Swedish company Celloplast patented the one-piece polyethylene shopping bag, designed by engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin. Thulin's design was simple yet strong, with a high load-carrying capacity, and it quickly began to replace cloth and paper bags in Europe. By the end of the 1960s, public opinion began to shift, and environmental concerns grew. Despite resistance from environmental activists, plastic bags became the new norm.
The normalization of plastic bags had far-reaching consequences. By 1979, plastic bags controlled 80% of the bag market in Europe and began to spread to the United States and other countries. Plastic companies aggressively marketed their single-use bags as superior to reusable options. By the 1980s, plastic bags had almost entirely replaced paper bags worldwide. However, it's important to note that plastic recycling has struggled to keep up with the proliferation of plastic waste. Despite efforts to improve recycling rates, the tonnage of plastic waste continues to rise.
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Plastic recycling is low in the waste hierarchy
The history of plastic recycling dates back to the 1970s, with the first plastic recycling mill established in Pennsylvania in 1972. However, the broader history of recycling goes back much further, with roots in the 9th century in Japan and gaining mainstream popularity in the United States during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Despite the long history of plastic recycling, it occupies a low position in the waste hierarchy. The waste hierarchy is a framework that ranks waste management decisions based on their environmental impact, with waste prevention, reuse, and reduction taking precedence over recycling. Plastic recycling is considered less favourable than other forms of waste management due to the additional energy and resources required to process and create new products from recycled materials.
The process of recycling plastic involves converting waste plastic into its starting chemicals, which can be used to create new plastic products. This feedstock recycling method demands higher energy and capital costs compared to simply producing new plastic. As a result, plastic recycling faces economic challenges, and historically, it has struggled to make a significant impact on plastic waste management.
Additionally, the plastic recycling process is complex due to the diverse chemical and physical properties of different types of plastics. Sorting plastic waste by polymer type and colour is essential but remains a barrier to effective recycling, as no sorting approach is 100% accurate. The inconsistency in sorting leads to poorly standardised recycled products, reducing the demand for recycled plastic.
Furthermore, the success of plastic recycling is hindered by the dominance of single-use plastic production and the increase in plastic waste generation. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, led to a rise in single-use plastic, particularly with the use of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE) and packaging materials. This increase in plastic waste has resulted in a higher volume of recyclable materials being sent to landfills, further emphasising the need to prioritise waste prevention and reduction over recycling in the waste hierarchy.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic recycling started in 1972 with the opening of the first plastic recycling mill in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
The most commonly recycled plastics include LDPE (e.g. bags, containers, food packaging film), HDPE (e.g. milk bottles, shampoo bottles, ice cream tubs), and PET (e.g. water and drinks bottles).
Plastic recycling is not very effective. Only 9% of plastic produced has been recycled, and only 1% has been recycled more than once. Additionally, recycling plastic can release toxic chemicals, and it is cheaper for companies to use new plastic than recycled plastic.
Plastic recycling started as a response to the environmental concerns of the 1960s and 1970s. However, the plastics industry also pushed for plastic recycling to prevent unfavourable laws and regulations.
Plastic recycling has become more widespread since the 1970s, with the first curbside recycling program in 1974 and the introduction of a coding system for plastics in 1988. However, the percentage of plastic waste being recycled has not increased significantly, and most plastic waste still ends up in landfills or the natural environment.
