How many times have you found yourself in the kitchen scrutinizing a piece of plastic, trying to understand whether it was recyclable or not? If you're like me, probably too often. This dilemma could become a thing of the past thanks to a series of new advanced recycling technologies that promise to transform any type of used plastic into something extremely useful: new plastic.
The target? Create a circular economy for this material, eliminating the need to produce virgin plastic from petroleum. Let's see together what it is.
A global problem
Plastic has become one of the most used materials in the world, but also one of the most problematic from an environmental point of view. Since its appearance in the 50s, we have produced some over 10 billion tons. Much of this ended up in landfill or, even worse, in the oceans (forming entire islands) to in the environment natural.
Recycling, often presented as the solution, is actually only possible for a small percentage of plastic waste, due to the difficulties in separating the various types of polymers and the high processing costs. And in general, sorry to say, Not working.
Il more complete report that we have at the moment, although dated (it is from 2017) shows us an incontrovertible trend. About 55% of global plastic ends up directly in landfill or disposed of, 8% is incinerated e only 6% recycled. Of this 6%, obviously, the majority still ends up in landfill at the "second use".
What is advanced recycling
Today, a series of new technologies known as “advanced recycling” or “chemical recycling” promise to change the game. These processes use various techniques, such as depolymerization or the pyrolysis to break down used plastic into its basic chemical components, which can then be reassembled into new virgin plastic, indistinguishable from that produced by oil.
In short
Depolymerization: breaks the bonds of polymers to return them to the original monomers, useful for recycling complex plastics.
Pyrolysis: breaks down polymers without oxygen, producing hydrocarbons or monomers to recycle difficult plastics or obtain fuels.
Both processes require the application of heat, which undermines their eco credentials somewhat. But so does the creation of virgin plastic, with all the added pollution burden that entails.
Unlike traditional mechanical recycling, which requires careful separation of various types of plastic and produces a lower quality material, advanced recycling can handle any type of plastic, even dirty or contaminated ones, and produce a high quality raw material, suitable for any use, even in contact with food.
Towards a circular economy
The implication of advanced recycling technologies is potentially revolutionary. If we managed to effectively recycle all the plastic we produce, we could create a truly circular economy for this material, in which there is no longer any need to extract oil to produce new plastic, but simply reuse the existing one endlessly (which honestly it's enough).
This would drastically reduce the environmental impact of plastic. More: it would make recycling economically advantageous, creating a market for used plastic and encouraging the collection and treatment of plastic waste, even in those countries that currently do not have the infrastructure or resources to do so.
And the world leader of this revolution can be Europe. With over 100 technologies in operation or in development across the 27 EU countries, the UK, Switzerland and Norway, the old continent is already a leader in advanced recycling. Some plants are already in operation, with a combined annual production capacity that is currently 270.000 tonnes, and could already double by 2026.
Challenges and opportunities of advanced recycling
Of course, the road to this sustainable future is not without obstacles. Advanced recycling technologies are still under development and need to prove scalable and economically viable on a large scale. Furthermore, to function, they still require an efficient system of collection and selection of plastic waste, which today is still lacking in many parts of the world.
The potential advantages are such, however, that it is worth investing in this direction. Companies, governments and international organizations are already taking action: the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, for example, estimates that chemical recycling could process 50% of global plastic waste by 2040, creating a market worth around 120 billion euros.
The future does not know the word “disposable”
In a not too distant tomorrow we could live in a world where plastic is no longer a problem, but a precious resource, to be used with care and recycled endlessly. A world where we no longer have to spend hours in the kitchen trying to understand whether packaging is recyclable or not, because everyone will be.
Plastic, from a symbol of disposable use and pollution, could become the emblem of a circular and sustainable economy, in which nothing is created and nothing is destroyed, but everything is transformed. Am I rambling? Perhaps. But only as a matter of political will, and not of feasibility.
