As plastic production has increased over the last century, there is more talk about the need for advanced recycling. Some plastic products are already recycled mechanically. However, a major waste problem remains, as many products cannot be recycled and are, instead, sent to landfill.
As more waste accumulates worldwide, washing up on beaches and destroying habitats, there is a growing need to reduce this waste.
The Plastic Problem
The plastic industry was established in the United States in the early 1900s with the creation of early plastic products, such as billiard balls, hair combs, and rotary telephones. Annual global plastic production has risen significantly over the last century, from around 1.5 million metric tons in 1950 to 376 million metric tons in 2019.
The type of plastic being produced has also changed in line with technological innovations. In 2019, approximately 133 million metric tons of the plastics produced were single-use, predominantly used in packaging. Clothing has also become a major plastics market, due to the increased use of materials such as nylon and polyester.
Other industries highly reliant on plastic include the construction, transportation, electricity production and transmission, agriculture, and medical sectors. By 2017, cumulative global plastic production exceeded eight billion metric tons.
Less than 10% of global plastic waste has been recycled to date, mainly due to the lack of effective recycling methods for certain types of plastics. However, many governments are now exploring the potential of chemical recycling, also known as advanced recycling, to help them address the waste problem and become more sustainable.
What is Advanced Recycling?
Advanced recycling makes it possible to recycle a broader range of plastic products than mechanical recycling can. This includes hard-to-recycle plastics such as plastic bags, films and wrappers, as well as carpet, artificial turf, clothing, and other durable goods that would otherwise end up in landfill.
The term advanced recycling covers various recycling methods that use different technologies to break down plastic to the molecular level, into liquid or gaseous raw materials, typically using heat and chemicals. This can allow for plastic products to be produced, used, recycled, and reused, creating a circular economy.
The Rise and Fall of Advanced Recycling in the U.S.
However, at present, there are only around eight operational chemical recycling facilities in the United States, down from 11 in 2023. Six of these are pyrolysis plants, which can transform plastic waste into oil to be used as industrial heating fuel, as a substitute for diesel, or as a raw material for producing new plastic products.
So far this year, three companies have cancelled plans for chemical recycling plants. A $145 million Braven Environmental pyrolysis plant in Texarkana, Texas; a Green Mountain Energy LLC plastics-to-fuel plant in Kentucky; and a Freepoint Eco-Systems facility in Ohio will no longer be developed.
The closure of the Freepoint and Braven plants was due to environmental violations cited by state regulators, which involved harmful air pollution and hazardous waste. The Freepoint facility was forced to stop operations due to violations for dozens of unreported equipment malfunctions and illegal emissions. In addition, Freepoint had failed to produce enough pyrolysis oil to meet Ohio’s definition of recycling, meaning that it faced reclassification as a waste incinerator.
Critics of advanced recycling have long warned that it is not the solution for dealing with plastic waste and suggest that plastic production must, instead, be reduced to avoid creating this waste in the first place.
Environmentalists and scientists have warned that chemical recycling may release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere and have called for close surveillance of the industry. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to economically scale up advanced recycling operations. Many have also blamed the plastics and chemicals industries for promoting the practice with little consideration for its impact on the environment and human health.
Trump Administration Support
Despite recent failures, the Trump administration has shown support for advanced recycling. In November, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Lee Zeldin, toured the advanced recycling operations at ExxonMobil Baytown plant in Texas, later appearing on the firm’s promotional videos.
Zeldin wrote an opinion piece about advanced recycling in which he stated, “If America does not invest in scaling this technology now, it stands to lose not just an environmental opportunity, but an enormous economic opportunity as well.” He suggested that over 90 new advanced recycling facilities were ready to be built across the country.
It remains unclear whether we can create advanced recycling techniques that can be effectively scaled up to tackle the plastic waste problem and that are less harmful to the environment than existing methods. However, cutting production at the source would, of course, be a more effective way to reduce plastic waste. In addition, investing in research and development into alternative materials to plastic could help support these aims.
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