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Postcollection Separation of Plastic Recycling and Design-for-Recycling as Solutions to Low Cost-Effectiveness and Plastic Debris
| Content Provider | MDPI |
|---|---|
| Author | Gradus, Raymond |
| Copyright Year | 2020 |
| Description | In the Netherlands, plastic waste recycling is high on the policy agenda. Much effort is made to recycle, mostly by residents, who separate plastic waste at home. However, much of the separated waste is not recycled into new products. Substantial amounts are burned or even shipped to Asia. This leads to substantial plastic debris, as recent evidence has shown. Moreover, the cost-effectiveness of plastic recycling versus incineration is very low. Based on evidence from the north of the Netherlands, postcollection or mechanical separation can be a viable alternative as more useful plastics are separated and there are indications that different plastic streams are of higher polymeric purity. Furthermore, there is some circumstantial evidence that cost-effectiveness increases if postseparation is chosen. To avoid large streams of mixed plastics that are barely recyclable, it is important that further agreements with the packaging industry are made to phase out these mixed plastics and further increase the polymeric purity of different plastic waste streams. |
| Starting Page | 8415 |
| e-ISSN | 20711050 |
| DOI | 10.3390/su12208415 |
| Journal | Sustainability |
| Issue Number | 20 |
| Volume Number | 12 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Publisher Date | 2020-10-13 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Sustainability Environmental Engineering Plastic Waste Polymeric Purity Postseparation Cost-effectiveness Plastic Debris |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
