Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling 05-02-2022 - Archive
Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
-A Plastic Economy: Is Recycling Broken?
Guest Post by Mariel Price 2021-2022 Sustainability Leadership Fellow, and Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University
Every minute, one garbage truck worth of plastic is dumped into our ocean. Why is that a problem? Well, plastics were built to last. The reason why they are so useful is the same reason they pose a threat to life as we know it. When plastic waste accumulates in river systems, it can cause a jam that leads to the buildup of stagnant water (aka: a breeding ground for disease carrying insects). When plastic ends up in the ocean it can strangle unsuspecting wildlife, be eaten whole by marine animals, or be consumed in tiny pieces (microplastics) after it has been shredded by the forces of the ocean. It’s worth noting that these tiny pieces of plastics can eventually wind up on your dining table.Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
Do we have to choose between plastics and our health? Between plastics and the health of our oceans? Why is plastic waste so hard to manage? What solutions are emerging to stem the accumulation of plastic waste? How can you limit your consumption of plastic products and help increase the percentage of plastics being recycled? It might not surprise you to hear that there is no one answer to any of these questions. The reasons why we are now facing the prospect of having more plastic in the ocean than fish by the year 2050 are numerous, but thankfully, so are the emerging solutions to this problem. Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
It might sound like I am trash talking plastics, so don’t get me wrong—plastics are essential to modern life. Plastics are used to make cars lighter, faster, and safer. They are used to prolong the shelf life of foods. Clothing, electronic devices, medical devices, and numerous other technologies that make the world a better place exist because of the industrialization of plastic. Unfortunately, we have become overly reliant on this miracle material. We have figured out how to make plastics at such a low cost that their value to society and the threat of their accumulation has been disregarded while their production rate has exploded over the last 70 plus years.
Between 1950 and 2015, humankind produced an estimated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic and from that an estimated 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste. In case you, like me, have trouble picturing 8.3 billion metric tons, it’s about the mass of 25,000 empire state buildings (Figure 1). Of the 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste generated between 1950 and 2015, a mere 10% was recycled, 14% burned, and 76% discarded to landfills, dumps, or into the environment. The fact that only 10% of all the plastic waste ever generated has been recycled might make you feel like we just need to recycle more and then we can start to minimize the volumes of plastic waste clogging our landfills and ending up in the environment. Again, its not that simple. For one, it is just plain cheaper to make new plastic than to collect, wash, separate, and sell recycled plastic. Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
Additionally, plastics are challenging to recycle even if they do end up at a recycling facility. In fact, most plastics only get one or two additional uses from recycling before then end up in a landfill (or in the environment).
-Plastics Recycling Show Europe returns to Amsterdam 22-23 June 2022
The Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) returns to Hall 12 at the RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 22-23 June 2022. Online visitor registration is now open.
“The free-to-attend Plastics Recycling Show Europe conference and exhibition is the focal point of plastics recycling in Europe,” said Ton Emans, Plastics Recyclers Europe President. “Now in its sixth edition, PRSE is a must-visit event to discover all the latest technical and commercial developments and stay up to date with the legislative landscape of our industry.” Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
“PRSE was such a success in 2021 with record numbers of exhibitors and visitors,” said Matt Barber, PRSE Event Director at Crain Communications. “Already we are receiving very strong interest in the 2022 event and I have every expectation we will see the event grow just as dramatically again this year.”
The Plastics Recycling Show Europe is designed specifically for plastics recycling professionals. It brings together key players from the plastics and recycling sectors to showcase innovative technology, share best practice, network and do business. A broad cross-section of the industry is represented at the event including plastics recycling machinery and equipment suppliers, plastic material suppliers and compounders, pre-processors, plastics recyclers, waste management specialists and industry associations. Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
Over 150 companies and organisations from across Europe have already signed up to exhibit at what is set to be by far the largest PRSE show to date including: Aimplas, Berry Global, Bollegraf, EREMA, Evonik, FIMIC, Krauss Maffei Extrusion, Lindner Recyclingtech, Kraton Polymers, Krones, Milliken, Pellenc ST, Starlinger, Tomra Sorting, Veolia and Zen Robotics. Recycled polymers supply organisation Poly to Poly is Platinum event sponsor.
The latest trends in the plastics recycling sector will be explored in depth throughout the free-to-attend two-day conference, which provides a holistic view of the whole plastic recycling value chain, drawing together political leaders, major brands, recyclers and the plastics recycling and manufacturing industry.
Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
-A Plastic-Economy: Is Recycling Broken?
–Plastics-Recycling-Show-Europe returns to Amsterdam-22-23-June 2022
–Avantium to Construct FDCA-Plant in Netherlands
-Can demand absorb the last big wave of global-PE-capacity?
–Danimer-Scientific and Hyundai-Oilbank Collaborate on Driving Global Growth of PHA and Sustainable-Alternatives to Traditional-Plastic-Products
–Eurozone-inflation rises to 5.1% in January on sharp increase in energy
–Mexico’s-Green-Theme launches water-repellent-treatment-for-textiles
–PFNonwovens aiming for zero-microplastics
Plastic-Economy – Plastics Recycling
