Weisbrod, Katelyn. “‘Advanced’ Recycling of Plastic Using High Heat and Chemicals Is Costly and Environmentally Problematic, a New Government Study Finds.” Inside Climate News, 20 Jan. 2023, insideclimatenews.org/news/19012023/plastic-advanced-recycling-cost-environmental-impact.  

 

Many of the new plastic recycling methods, including gasification and pyrolysis, are found to be inefficient and highly polluting. In some chemical recycling methods, only 1 to 15 % of the plastic remains after being processed, meaning close to 90% of the plastic is still benignly released into the environment. Some other methods are more favorable, with an 80-95% success rate, but they still need to be more efficient in the fight for recycling plastics. The most efficient and economical method is mechanical recycling, which has been around for the most extended time; it has a lower emissions rate and is less polluting than other methods. Experts say that multiple methods must be used to fight against plastic waste. The purest plastics should go through mechanical recycling, while the impure plastics should be chemically recycled. 

While current recycling options are inefficient and expensive, there should still be a push for more innovative options for recycling. Many of the systems tested were in their early stages or prototypes. However, the most efficient approach is also the one that has been around the longest. If we continue to research to improve and create new methods, the quality of the methods and products should increase alongside them. There will never be one system that will eliminate all our plastic waste; however, with a combination of multiple different methods, the amount of waste recycled should significantly increase. However, the main problem with plastic is not recycling but manufacturing. Our current recycling systems cannot keep up with the amount of plastic being produced, so to make a dent in the plastic waste problem, we must attack it at the source and lower our plastic production. With lower plastic waste being put into our society, recycling will be able to finally create a dent in the amount already present in the environment.