The term plastic is, in fact, a collective name for several hundred different kinds of material. Due to lack of knowledge, different types of plastic are often combined in manufacturing processes, which makes recycling them much more difficult. This often leads to plastics being incinerated, which is a major waste of valuable resources. We have the tools and knowledge to create circular recycling for plastics. From product design to waste sorting and collection, we can keep more plastic in circulation. We can help you with training and by sharing our knowledge. By collaborating on an analysis of your business, we can set goals and create clear action plans.
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As virgin raw materials are sometimes cheaper, we must find the added value that plastic recycling creates. Highlighting your recycling work and objectives for customers and other stakeholders can positively affect both sustainability communication and sales.
A great many products are manufactured in ways that make the plastic content difficult to separate and, therefore, recycle. For example, different plastic types may be combined or other materials, such as glue and metal screws, bonded or fixed to the plastic. By considering these issues at the design stage, it becomes easier to disassemble products into waste fractions that do not contain residues of other material. This requires specific expertise and knowledge of materials. Stena Recycling can offer both training and guidance so that the plastic content in end-of-life products can be returned into circulation and used to manufacture new products.
Plastic is a complex material and each type has unique properties that affect its color, shape, structure and melting point. Therefore, it is important to sort plastic into different categories so that it can be kept as pure as possible. Stena Recycling can help, not only with collection but also with advice about of what to consider when sorting waste.
A stable supply of recycled plastic raw materials is vital to increasing its use among manufacturers. We have developed two completely new processes at the Stena Nordic Recycling Center that enable us to recycle more plastic and increase the availability of recycled material on the market. One process recycles soft plastic (LDPE) into plastic pellets that can be used to make plastic bags and garbage sacks. The second process recycles the plastic from electronic products so that more of it can be returned into circulation. We also have a large international network that allows us to find the right kind of recycled plastic to suit your needs.
However important recycling is, your business comes first. We understand how pressurized manufacturing can be and find efficient approaches to recycling that don&#;t interfere with your production processes. For example, there should never be holdups because the sorting containers are full. Therefore, we always ensure that waste is collected and taken away at exactly the right time.
Effecting real change takes collaborative work. Not only between our customers and ourselves, but throughout the product chain - raw material suppliers, subcontractors and manufacturers. This type of collaboration already exists in the steel industry, for example, but not in plastics.
Blogs
Noora Nylanden
21.12.
7 min
Plastic recycling doesn&#;t work the way you think it does. The very process of recycling can release large quantities of harmful microplastics into the environment. Additionally, recycled plastic has been found to contain toxic chemicals, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals, which present risks to recycling workers and consumers, as well as to the environment.
Plastic recycling is not the solution for plastic pollution for several reasons. Firstly, microplastics are spread to the environment during the recycling process, even when a filtration system has been installed. Secondly, the recycling process of conventional plastic is inefficient, and unsustainable, whether done mechanically or chemically. Finally, recycled plastic contains hazardous chemicals posing a severe health threat to people and the planet. As a result, scientists from the University of Gotherburg state that &#;there are no plastics that can be deemed safe or circular&#;.
Plastic recycling is &#;incompatible with a circular economy&#;
Recycling as such is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle of tackling global warming and biodiversity loss. It can reduce the demand for virgin raw materials, cut down the waste headed for incinerators or oceans, and pave the way to a global circular economy.
But unlike metal or glass recycling, conventional plastic recycling faces several challenges. According to Greenpeace, &#;Plastics are inherently incompatible with a circular economy.&#;
So, what makes plastic recycling so tricky?
Why plastic recycling is broken
Only 9 percent of annual plastic waste is recycled. And even for this amount, there are many challenges to overcome.
Firstly, there are thousands of different types of plastic, each with its own makeup and characteristics. These various chemical additives and colourants cannot be recycled together.
Technological limitations of current recycling technology also present a major stumbling block. For now, mechanical recycling remains the only commercial recycling process for plastic adopted on a large scale. This means plastics that cannot be recycled mechanically are most likely burnt or end up into landfills.
Another downside of mechanical recycling is quality degradation. One piece of plastic can typically be recycled only once or twice before it&#;s no longer reusable.
Market demand is another challenge. Due to the material degradation inherent to plastic recycling, some industries prefer to use cheap, fossil-based virgin plastics. These can cost less than recycled materials.
Finally, there&#;s the elephant in the room: recycling plastic can actually spread microplastics into the environment.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Recycled Plastic Products. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Plastic recycling as a source of microplastic pollution
An awakening illustration of recycling&#;s role in spreading microplastics throughout the environment can be found in a recent peer-reviewed study. In the study, a UK-based mixed plastics recycling facility was examined for the release of microplastics. Shockingly, the study found that between 6 to 13 percent of plastic processed in recycling may be released into water or the air as microplastics.
Recycled plastic is toxic
When plastics are recycled, they can contain a toxic cocktail of chemicals that makes them unfit for food-grade and other consumer uses. Dangerous chemicals make their way into recycled plastic materials from a variety of sources. Greenpeace has identified the following three &#;uncontrollable poisonous pathways&#;:
No such thing as &#;safe&#; plastic
Further findings lead to the question: can any plastic be considered safe?
In a recent study (led by the University of Gothenburg), researchers analyzed hundreds of plastic pellets derived from plastic recycling facilities in Africa, South America, Asia and Eastern Europe. The compounds found in these included pesticides, medicines, industrial chemicals and plastic additives.
Toxic chemicals are present in the production of all plastics, and plastics absorb other chemicals during use. This means that no plastic can be truly considered safe even in closed-loop plastic recycling systems.
Recycled plastic and food contact
Recycled plastics also present severe issues in terms of food contact. A comprehensive study has found that recycled and reused food contact plastics can be vectors for hazardous chemicals like endocrine disrupters and carcinogens. The study examined chemicals in food packaging, cutlery, plates and other items such as bottles.
The study emphasized that recycling plastics can also lead to unintended negative impacts because hazardous chemicals can be released during reuse and accumulate during recycling. The accumulated chemicals in recycled material can transfer from packaging into food, exposing humans to toxins.
Another alarming find was the use of illicit recycling. This is where non-food grade plastic containing toxic compounds such as flame retardants is utilized in recycled food packaging.
If plastic recycling is broken, what choices do consumers have?
Indisputably, the scale of the problem requires a systemic change. Still, there is something you can do as a consumer and an individual as well to protect your health and the environment.
Additionally, we can urge policymakers to take bolder measures to cut back on fossil-based plastics, and we can pressure companies to replace plastic with better alternatives. In the end, a transition to safe and circular plastic alternatives must take place in order to keep our planet and ourselves healthy.
Sustainable plastic alternatives offer a way out of the plastic crisis
Plastic recycling is not the answer to the plastic pollution crisis. Moving to plastic alternatives is a necessary step.
Sulapac is a biobased plastic alternative that has a low carbon footprint and can be endlessly recycled in a safe and efficient polymer-to-polymer process without a worry about microplastics or toxic accumulation. Sulapac biodegrades without leaving permanent microplastics or toxic residues behind. Most Sulapac material grades are industrially compostable, some also home compostable. Sulapac also has safe, sustainable and circular options for reusable items.
The production of Sulapac strictly avoids using any harmful additives typically found in traditional plastic production. The innovative polymer-to-polymer recycling process stands apart for its efficiency, consuming less energy and eliminating the need for hazardous chemicals while providing excellent yields. Through this process, carbon stays in the circulation almost endlessly. This is not the case in the mechanical recycling of conventional plastic, which relies on constant virgin raw material inputs, keeping the oil drillers busy.
By making responsible choices today, we can help shape the course of tomorrow. The spread of microplastics and increasing toxic load are unpleasant facts that we all must face. Switching to sustainable plastic alternatives and reducing the amount of plastic we use is one of the best ways we can help build a cleaner future.
Sulapac Ltd accelerates the plastic waste-free future by helping companies replace conventional plastic with sustainable, beautiful and functional materials that are circular by design. The company was founded in by three scientists Dr. Suvi Haimi, Dr. Laura Tirkkonen-Rajasalo and Dr. Antti Pärssinen, and was ranked one of Europe&#;s 100 hottest startups by WIRED UK in , and . Investors behind Sulapac®, the award-winning, patented material innovation include CHANEL and Sky Ocean Ventures.
For more information, please visit pcr plastic recycling company.