Unpacking The Plastic Recycling Myth

Posted on 25-01-2023 08:56 PM

If you're thinking about making changes to the things you do at home to help the environment and the way you sort your waste plastics for your bin, one of the myths you may have heard is that all plastics are recyclable. While some plastics are indeed recyclable using the current industry-standard (particle size reduction) depackaging and separation machines, there are also many different types of plastics that are not.

It is all about the ability of modern technology to sort and separate plastics cleanly without creating microplastics.

To say that all plastics are recyclable using the currently installed depackaging and separation equipment is certainly a myth.

Mixes of plastics aren't recyclable

If you're a recycling fan and you research the subject, chances are you may have read how mixed plastics are not recyclable.

Recycling is a process, and different kinds of plastic are harder to recycle than others. Some have so little monetary value that they are best used a fuel in a municipal incinerator or burnt as pellets in refuse derived fuel. While this is a relatively common misconception, it's not necessarily correct.

Mixed plastic is not a good choice for recycling, because it contains a mixture of different kinds of plastic. This can cause problems because most recycling plants can't easily separate the products.

For instance, an entire milk bottle made of HDPE can be recycled and the same goes for PET drinks bottles. The same is true for damaged bottles and pieces of them as long as the individual pieces are large enough to be identified by the automated picking devices now routinely used in Materials Recycling Facilities (MRFs) and Energy Recycling Facilities (ERFs).

A lot of mixed plastic which MRFs and ERFs need to process is Food Waste whether from the organic content of uneaten food in mixed municipal waste or source sepatared kitchen waste. The commonly accepted recycling industry assumption is that food residue can makes these two types of waste unrecyclable after the currently used equipment has extracted a high percentage of the organic (food) content which is valuable for anaerobic digestion.

It is clear that all manner of unwanted items will always be present in mixed waste even when the large items are removed and all that is left is the organic fraction. The same is also true for source separated food waste though toa lesser degree. Large objects can clog and block pumps. Also, thin films can get wound around processing machinery until these machines need to be cleared manually. So, when designing separation and depackaging machinery, until now, the design engineers naturally worked on the basis that if their equipment reliably reduced the size of every particle to something less than say 10mm the machines would not block and clog and a high reliability would be achieved.

In those days energy was cheap, it did not matter how much was expended in shredding crushing and milling energy to do this. There was no financial value in recycling the plastic which (before 2018) mostly went back to China in empty containers anyway. The rejected non-organic (rejects stream) from their equipment was simply landfilled or incinerated.

Now in the 2020's That's Not Good Enough

A joke about the ocean and plastic waste

If you've been paying attention to the news lately, you might have noticed that plastic recycling has become more difficult. As the world continues to produce plastic at an explosive rate, and China no longer acts as the worlds plastic waste bin. It's no surprise that the recycling industry is also facing huge challenges for its lack of plastic recycling.

Plastic is made from fossil fuels, and it creates a variety of pollutants during the production process. It is also harder to recycle than other recyclable materials. Besides, it's a myth that using currently installed recycling equipment that it can all be recycled and many types of plastics are non-recyclable.

During the last two decades, the plastics industry has been chasing their tails in pursuit of a sustainable future. Few if, any people, say they have been successful. The result is a global waste crisis. Not only is it a health threat for some local communities living near plastic clogged and polluted rivers, but it has contributed to a surge in greenhouse gas emissions.

In a bid to improve plastic recycling, a few left-leaning lawmakers have pushed for policies that could shift the burden of plastic recycling to companies. They hope that regulations would incentivize manufacturers to redesign products and produce more recyclables.

It's not economically viable?

Plastic recycling has been a subject of debate for years. Some say it isn't economical and others say it is. But the fact remains that plastic recycling is a viable option for some waste streams, and if the recyling industry was to replace it's old size reduction based depackaging and separation equipment with the latest generation of machines which have been developed that entirel avoid particle size reduction many more waste streams including food waste and organic waste would be recyclable.

With the right equipment, waste plastics should be relatively valuable to recycle because even if not separated into each special reusable resin, they contain the petrochemical constituents that can be used to produce synthetic chemicals. The process of recovering petrochemicals from waste is technically feasible, but obviously for sustainability reasons sorting each polyolefin to make recycled resin for reuse is the aim. Only the the highly mixed residue would be converted as a source chemical for chemical refinery use. But even this would be technically feasible if large enough and pieces are retained to be possible to clean/ wash them for adequate purity.

Another issue is that a variety of different plastics have different compositions. This makes it difficult to accurately separate the recyclable materials from the non-recyclable materials. And because of this, some recyclable items may end up in the trash, despite their recyclable status.

The process of recycling waste plastic is also complicated because many of the components are chemically blended together. This mixture of chemicals can stymie a recycling effort.

It takes up the least amount of landfill space

Plastic recycling is an ongoing process that is gaining more attention. Many municipalities have re-introduced single-stream recycling. However, the amount of plastic recycled has not kept up with the amount of plastic produced.

Plastics are a combination of chemicals. Some of these are hazardous to the environment and humans. This is because they can break down into byproducts that can persist for years in the environment.

The best part is that plastics can be recycled. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels, which makes the production of these materials extremely energy-intensive. In most cases, the recycling process involves melting the material down and turning it into pellets. These are then sold to producers of recycled plastic products.

There are various types of plastics, and each type has different properties. For example, PET plastic bottles are relatively easy to recycle. Other materials, such as HDPE milk jugs, are less so.

Plastic is uniquely useful and should not be abandoned

Plastic packaging is the material of choice for food packaging for several reasons. It has many advantages over other materials such as glass, paper, and cardboard. One advantage is that plastic packaging is lightweight and durable.

This makes it ideal for the transportation and storage of food. It also provides a barrier to keep the food inside safe from contamination and spoilage.

In addition, plastic packaging is relatively inexpensive and can be printed with product information and branding.

It is also versatile, as it can be made into many shapes, sizes, and colors. Plastic packaging also helps to preserve food by protecting it from air and moisture, thus extending the shelf life of the product. Finally, plastic packaging is recyclable and reusable, reducing waste and promoting sustainability.

Alternatives to single-use plastics

If you are concerned about plastic pollution, you may want to explore alternatives to single-use plastics. Reusable and compostable plastic alternatives are gaining popularity and have the potential to reduce the amount of plastic in our environment. Nevertheless, there are some limitations to using these products.

The most popular alternative to plastic is paper. Although it is more affordable, it requires more energy to produce and takes up more space in landfills.

Another option is a reusable water bottle. Water bottles can be reused hundreds of times. They also help decrease the use of water and avoid the waste of chemicals. You can buy refill and go glass bottles for hand sanitizer and dishwashing liquid.

While most plastic alternatives are not biodegradable, they are more environmentally friendly than the petroleum-based plastics. In fact, many products packaged in plastic tubes or containers are now being replaced with plastic that is made from plant-based materials.

The truth about plastics recycling

The truth about plastics is that there is a pervasive misconception that all plastic can usefully be recycled.

This is simply not true. Different types of plastics have different chemical compositions, which makes some types of plastics more difficult to recycle than others.

Additionally, the process of recycling plastic can be expensive and time-consuming, which means that not all types of plastic are economically viable to recycle.

Moreover, due to the sheer volume of plastic that is produced, it is estimated that only 9 per cent of all plastic is actually recycled. The rest is either sent to landfills or incinerators or released into the environment, where it takes centuries to degrade.