![]() ![]() Reduce: With plastic production volumes skyrocketing, it’s paramount that global policy measures are taken to cut back on fossil-based plastics. Let’s go through the four Rs and their roles: ![]() A new element needs to be added: replace. The traditional formula for a better future used to be ‘reduce, recycle, reuse’. ![]() It’s clear that other means must be considered to supplement recycling.Ī holistic toolbox for a healthier futureįighting plastic waste calls for a wide-ranging approach where recycling plays its important part. Around 40% of all plastic that is collected for reuse ends up incinerated instead. In 2016, 14% of plastic waste was recycled sufficiently globally. These mechanical, technological, financial and political problems regarding recycling are a blow to the global need to reduce microplastic contamination in nature. As a large share of microplastic pollution is wear-related, handling the end-of-life problems through recycling isn’t enough. This way microplastics find their way to the water we drink, the air we breathe and the soil we farm . Car tires and synthetic textiles, for example, release microplastics every time we use them. On top of the end-of-life challenges, microplastics create problems during their whole life cycle. Plastic recycling doesn’t solve microplastics released during use Instead of relying on mechanical recycling, all forms of recycling should play their part in creating a functioning recycling infrastructure. In the future, transforming carbon-rich polymers to desired materials would bring possibilities for both conventional plastics as well as new bio-based material. In chemical recycling, the polymers of the collected plastics can be changed, enabling the improvement of existing polymers. However, chemical recycling shows a lot of potential. The technological solutions for chemical recycling already exist, but it isn’t considered an official recycling option yet. Source: The New Plastics Economy – rethinking the future of plastics () and Sustainable Packaging – The Role of Materials Substitution ()Ĭurrently, the dominance of mechanical recycling slows down the development of chemical recycling processes and the required infrastructure.
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