How much plastic can we recycle?
Recycling rates vary by location, type of plastic and application. Scientists estimate that only about 9 per cent of all plastic waste generated globally is recycled. Most of our plastic waste (up to 79 per cent) ends up in landfills or in nature, and about 12 per cent is incinerated.
Why don't we recycle more plastic?
In principle, most plastic materials can be recycled. But in practice, recycling faces many obstacles:
Contamination: Plastic waste is often contaminated with labels, food scraps or other materials. For example, placing non-recyclable products in recycling bins can contaminate the waste stream and even damage recycling equipment. This can reduce the quality of recycled products and complicate the sorting process. If the waste stream is too contaminated, it simply can't be recycled and everything is diverted to landfill.
Harmful chemicals: Plastics contain a complex mixture of chemical additives that give them specific properties, such as flexibility, brilliant colours or water resistance. Many of these substances are harmful to human health. Recycling plastic products containing hazardous chemicals can have long-term negative health effects on workers, local communities and end-product users.
Costly: There are thousands of different types of plastics, each with unique properties that affect their structure, colour and melting point. Because these materials cannot be processed together, collection, sorting and disposal are more complex and expensive. For example, one of the most common plastics, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), is said to be 100 per cent recyclable. However, green PET bottles cannot be recycled with clear PET bottles.
How often can plastics be recycled?
Each time you recycle plastic, the quality of the material decreases. Harmful chemicals can build up as different materials are mixed during the recycling process. As a result, most plastics are recycled only once or twice before being thrown into a landfill or incinerator. Much of today's recycling simply delays final disposal rather than preventing waste. Food contamination and the presence of harmful chemicals are among the factors that complicate or prevent plastic recycling altogether.
What do the numbers on plastic products mean?
Many plastic products display a small number between one and seven within the chasing arrow symbol. This is called a resin identification number. It was introduced by the plastics industry in the 1980s to identify the type of plastic used. It does not indicate that the product is recyclable.
Resin Code #1: PET (polyethylene terephthalate)--products such as beverage bottles or food containers
Resin Code #2: HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)--products such as milk jugs or detergent bottles
Resin Code #3: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)--products such as pipe or cable insulation
Resin Code #4: LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)--products such as plastic bags or packaging materials
Resin Code #5: PP (Polypropylene)--products such as yoghurt tubs or medicine bottles
Resin Code #6: PS (Polystyrene)--products such as disposable plates or cups
Resin Code #7: All other plastics--any plastic that does not fall into the previous categories
What types of plastics are recycled the most?
The plastics with the highest recycling rates are Resin Codes #1 and #2. Plastics with Resin Codes #3 through #7 are more challenging to recycle, so recycling is often not economically feasible. Anything from coffee cup lids to take-out containers and yogurt tubs are rarely recycled.
How are plastics recycled?
While the recycling process may vary by location, facility and other factors, it typically follows these steps:
Collection: Consumers place plastics in recycling containers;
Sorting: facilities sort plastics from other materials by different plastic types;
Cleaning: the material is washed and dried to remove contaminants;
Reprocessing: the plastic is ground into thin sheets, heated and pressed into new pellets;
Production: pellets are melted and formed into new plastic products.
What is the difference between recycling and downcycling?
Recycling means processing used plastic materials into new products. For example, PET bottles are recycled into recycled PET pellets. Downcycling, on the other hand, means transforming plastics into a lower quality product compared to the original material. This happens because the molecular structure changes during recycling, resulting in a product that is less suitable for high-performance applications. For example, turning PET bottles into lower quality polyester fibres for clothing. Today, most processes described as recycling are actually downgraded recycling.
What can we do?
Relying on recycling will not solve the plastics crisis. However, there are many steps in the plastics lifecycle that can help solve the plastics crisis and protect people's health in the process, but this often requires the involvement of all stakeholders in the plastics value chain. Examples include: reducing the use of unnecessary plastics; establishing transparency and traceability of chemicals used in plastics; non-toxicising plastic products: phasing down and eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals in plastics; stopping the recycling of plastics containing hazardous chemicals; simplifying and harmonising plastic materials; and strengthening Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
