Plastic Recycling in a World With Too Much Plastic
Plastic is inescapable. You can see it in your toothbrush, your water bottle, the bag that carried your groceries, and the keyboard that you are typing on. We have become too dependent on the product. It is extremely convenient, and cheap, and its lightweight nature adds to its practicality. There is however a problem.
Millions of tons of plastic are used once and thrown away. Every year, a large quantity of plastic waste gets generated. Very little gets properly disposed of. Some gets incinerated, buried in landfills, or more worryingly it gets dumped in streams, rivers and oceans, or left on land. We should be recycling, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Recycling used to be plastic's greatest marketing angle, now it is a lost cause.
According to GMI Research, during the forecast period 2025–2032, the Vietnam Plastic Recycling Market is expected to witness a CAGR of 7.1%, indicating an increase in awareness and investment towards recycling. Despite this, the world recycling challenge is as tough as ever.
Recycling Plastic: What Makes it So Complicated
Recycling looks simple on paper. All that is needed to be done is to collect all used plastic, melt it down and produce thise new innovative products. However, in reality, it is a lot more complicated than that.
Different types of plastics exist in the world today, from different chemical compositions, color pigments, to different forms and shapes. Some plastic pieces have food or other types of contamination, and just this contamination can ruin the whole batch. Some plastic types are water bottles and milk jugs which can be easily recycled using recycling techniques. Batch contamination is one of the reasons why many types of plastic don't get recycled, making their way back to landfills or incinerators.
The Promise of Chemical Recycling
Chemical recycling is one approach that the industry has started to explore. Rather than just melting the plastic, these technologies are designed to take the plastic and chemically break it down into smaller pieces so that they can be used to make new plastic or fuel.
Different methods can be used to achieve the intended result of breaking down the plastic chemically. Some methods involve heating the plastic in an environment that does not contain oxygen in order to create oils and gases. Other methods involve using solvents to separate the different materials. Some methods even seek to convert the plastic into a synthetic gas. The idea does sound futuristic.
In theory, this chemical recycling process can tackle the mixed or hard-to-recycle plastics that cannot be handled using mechanical recycling.
Where the Concerns Begin
The issue is that many of the existing chemical recycling plants are still in their infancy. Some plants are even still struggling to achieve a consistent level of operational efficiency. The critics note the high energy consumption, high emissions, and the toxic waste that is produced as a by product of the process. Additionally, there have even been reports of safety concerns with some chemical recycling plants.
Chemical recycling has its pros and cons and it impacts very vulnerable communities from an environmental and health standpoint. Environmental groups are concerned that chemical recycling will cause additional plastic production.
So the main question still persists… Is chemical recycling an innovation or a bandage solution?
More than recycling
Some experts say that the amount of plastic needs to be decreased. Policies regarding plastic usage that prioritize reusable packaging need to be put in place. Bans in the areas that make the most sense and the recycling of plastic should not be a complete solution.
Recycling cannot be the complete solution.
New innovations
There are also new innovations popping up. Alternative plastic replacements, smarter AI systems, and methods of extracting microplastics from water.
Policies and innovative recycling solutions will all be part of the plastic recycling challenge and solutions. There will be no single solution to the challenges of plastic recycling.Final Thought
Recycling plastics presents a variety of obstacles, these include: lifestyle, business, and policy. Though Vietnam’s developing markets offer some hope, meaningful, lasting change will only occur when recycling is matched with reduction, responsibility and innovation.
Ultimately, the goal is very simple: less waste, cleaner environments, a better future.
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