Ecoware NZ’s Post

Plastics recycling rates in the US vary from 5-15% depending upon the year and the metrics of the given study. That means, even in the best case scenario, 85% of plastic waste is ending up in landfills. Given this reality, we can really have an impact by choosing materials that won't hang around for decades or centuries once they get to the landfill (which also eliminates glass and metal as alternatives). One great option is PlantSwitch CompostZero bioplastics. Made from upcycled agricultural waste, CompostZero breaks down in natural and compost environments without requiring an industrial facility- all while leaving no microplastics or toxins behind. CompostZero is easy to adopt because it works in existing plastics processes like injection molding. https://lnkd.in/gE-fRMrk

Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the material into useful products. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), only 10% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream is being recycled, and the rest is being accumulated in landfills or dumped into the natural environment as litter. There are two basic approaches to the reuse of plastics: (1) mechanical recycling, and (2) chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling is a method by which waste materials are recycled into secondary raw materials without changing the basic structure of the material. Recycling is critical for effective end-of-life plastic management. Operational efficiency will be supported by ongoing investment in research and development. Recycling of a greater range of post-consumer plastic products and packaging will further boost recycling and divert more end-of-life plastic wastes from landfills. Read more >> https://lnkd.in/dK4Yr_KX #ADIChemicalMarketResources #Recycling #Plastics #ChemicalRecycling

Among a few points made by this article is that economics is in conflict with recycling. It's cheaper for companies to use new plastic vs. recycled plastic. Consumers are expected to pay more to do the right thing (i.e. buy organic food, purchase electricity from renewable energy sources, shop local, etc.). Should we be expecting the same from large corporations? Personally, I feel like making better environmental decisions is more important than a greater profit margin. The wealth gap has been widening for far too long. https://lnkd.in/gkAmPp7k

Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the material into useful products. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), only 10% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream is being recycled, and the rest is being accumulated in landfills or dumped into the natural environment as litter. There are two basic approaches to the reuse of plastics: (1) mechanical recycling, and (2) chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling is a method by which waste materials are recycled into secondary raw materials without changing the basic structure of the material. Recycling is critical for effective end-of-life plastic management. Operational efficiency will be supported by ongoing investment in research and development. Recycling of a greater range of post-consumer plastic products and packaging will further boost recycling and divert more end-of-life plastic wastes from landfills. Read more >> https://lnkd.in/dMWf-ANu #ADIChemicalMarketResources #Recycling #Plastics #ChemicalRecycling

Plastic industry knew recycling was a farce for decades yet deceived the public, report reveals “Plastic producers misled the public about recycling. The report unveils the fraudulent marketing and public education campaigns used to promote plastic as recyclable, despite knowing that it is not a workable solution. These strategies allowed the single-use plastics industry to expand, while avoiding regulation to effectively address waste and pollution, the report says. “Recycling cannot be considered a permanent solid waste solution [to plastics], as it merely prolongs the time until an item is disposed of,” reads a 1986 report by industry trade group the Vinyl Institute (VI).” A pretty hard hitting article and no real surprises that an industry has been seeking to avoid being answerable to its environmental impacts. The Treasury Department has costed discarded plastics as around £0.20 (20 pence) in social harm impact cost with 90% of that cost bourne by the taxpayer and only 10% by the manucturer. The environmental cost is up to £0.13 (13 pence) for a discarded PET plastic bottle. So add the social cost to the environmental cost and it exceeds the price of the production and sale of the plastic bottle. We and environmental degradation are consistently subsidising manufacturing that wouldn’t be economically viable if it accounted for harm impacts to people and ecosystems. #plasticpollution https://lnkd.in/eBH3eVjr.

🦆ing the issue. The plastic industry has been ducking the issue of environmental harms for eons. Total life cycle puts an economic harm price to an empathy plastic water bottle. A bin liner found in hotel bed rooms and hospitality. All single use plastics. We have to account for the supply chain and our waste, which we do. Otherwise we are simply being dishonest to ourselves and nature: the generations that are following. #plasticpollution #recycling #supplychains #hotels

The first major change to the EU’s own resource system since 1988, the non-recycled plastic packaging waste own resource generated €7.2bn of revenue in 2023. The resource works through member states making a contribution to the EU budget for every kilogram of plastic packaging waste they generate that is not recycled. It is designed to provide an incentive to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics, foster recycling and boost the circular economy. Our new Special Report assessed whether the Commission and member states were sufficiently prepared for the own resource’s introduction, and whether they could ensure the comparability and reliability of the data for its calculation. One finding: 🥤 The member states should compile data on the amount of plastic packaging waste generated and the amount recycled. However, neither the member state authorities (of the three member states we visited) nor the Commission conducted checks or audits to assess if the plastic packaging waste received by the recyclers was effectively processed into other products. 💶 In many cases, recycling was economically difficult, because, for example, virgin plastic was cheaper than recycled plastic. This increases the risk of recyclers having no incentive to invest further resources in processing waste received. The Producer Responsibility Organisations therefore had to compensate recyclers for receiving plastic packaging waste at their facilities to achieve the recycling targets set in the legislation. 🚮 The lack of checks and the economic factors create a significant risk that some of the plastic packaging waste received by recyclers may not subsequently be recycled. Our recommendations include taking steps to improve data comparability and reliability and to mitigate the risk of waste sent to recyclers not subsequently being recycled. https://lnkd.in/gqqFqvGH

A report shared by the EU Science Hub claims that although less than one-fifth of EU plastic waste was recycled in 2019, confidence remains high that 2025 targets to recycle a minimum of 65% can still be reached ♻️ Read more in the article here 👉 https://loom.ly/Vaw_Hvk DCW remains optimistic about ongoing developments in plastic recycling and re-purposing but do you think we can realistically meet the 2025 target? 💭 Answer in the comments below 👇 #PlasticWaste #CircularEconomy #Waste

Interest in plastic-to-fuel technology is growing rapidly in the UK, with the Government’s Energy Bill enabling support of recycled carbon fuels. Several local councils recently granted planning permission for plants. In the second article of this plastic waste-to-fuel series, we outline the risks of creating fuel from plastic:   https://lnkd.in/ekwuTejZ

Anyone familiar with the hierachy of waste will already know that recycling is not a solution, merely the least-worst alternative when compared to disposal and landfill. However, the general public is less-well informed and has been conned into thinking recycling solves everything. Research often reveals that when asked about how they can contribute to a more sustainable way of life, the number one answer given is recycling, even though in reality it only just about scrapes inside the list of top 10 actions that people can take. However, the reason why they answer this way is more insidious. The truth appears to be that it is because the likes of plastics industry bodies have brainwashed the public into this way of thinking. This article from the Guardian looks at a report that suggests that the plastics industry in particular has long known that recycling plastics is complicated, expensive (ask yourself why so much of the UK's recycling gets exported to poorer countries to be handled.....or not as the case may be) and can usually only be done once or twice before the material is too degraded to be useful any more, compared to the likes of glass and aluminium that can both be almost infinitely recycled. However, the industry's artful use of confusing recycling "chasing arrows" symbols has convinced the general public that they are doing the right thing and that plastic continues to be the cheapest, most convenient way to package things and, thanks to recycling, can have minimal environmental impact. This report suggests that, just like the oil and gas industry has deliberately hidden the detrimental effects of their processes and products from the world for decades, the plastics industry has conspired to do the same. Of course plastics have become an essential part of our lives and often perform amazing tasks which other materials cannot, but we do have to be alive to the possibility that they are part of another big illusion presented by big business to maintain BAU and profitability. True solutions continue to be challenging to identify, but a read of the article and the report it talks about will have people asking more questions about their plastics use and demanding better innovations than merely the ability to recycle. #recycling #plasticfree #reuse https://lnkd.in/ej8_cUhx