U.S. plastics chemical recycling takes 'hit'

Chemical recycling has always been a controversial topic
.

Most plastic "chemical recycling" plants in the U.
S.
don't actually recycle plastic, but convert it into fuel, while producing toxic waste in low-income communities, according to a recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
.

Chemical recycling is able to recover more plastic than traditional "mechanical" recycling methods
.
Traditional "mechanical" recycling involves shredding plastic and then processing it into pellets to make new products
.

But the study pointed out that the plastics industry is misleading the public by "green cleaning"
.
NRDC is a nonprofit organization that has helped influence important legislation since its founding in 1970
.

Veena Singla, a senior scientist at NRDC and the author of the report, told AFP: "There is a lot of enthusiasm and energy when people look at chemical recycling as a potential solution to the plastic waste crisis
.
We feel it's important to understand what these technologies are actually doing.

.
"

The NRDC found that out of hundreds of announced plants, only eight are operational or about to be operational, according to official U.
S.
federal and state documents
.

Of the eight companies, five are converting plastics into fuels to create a new low-grade fuel; one is converting carpets into nylon, and two are converting plastics into chemical components
.

The report later said that, according to international definitions, the production of fuel from waste plastics does not meet the standards for recycling, and when burned, it produces harmful gases and greenhouse gases
.

Where does combustion take place during the 'chemical recycling' of plastics?

A plastics chemical plant in Oregon, run by Agilyx, theoretically converts waste polystyrene into styrene, which is then used to make new polystyrene
.
But according to the company's own figures, it is delivering hundreds of thousands of pounds of styrene oil that is used to burn energy, not turn it into plastic
.

Singla told AFP it was unclear why the company was "wasting and inefficient" in converting polystyrene into styrene and then burning it, one potential reason being the very high quality of the styrene produced.
low
.
In 2019 alone, the plant produced nearly half a million pounds of hazardous waste, most of which was burned, according to official figures
.

Some media believe that it is possible to solve the problem of plastic waste, but it needs a real solution, rather than turning waste plastic into fuel and burning it, and all the toxic pollution that comes with it
.
Real solutions include reducing plastic production: stopping the problem at source, while innovating non-toxic, reusable, renewable and recyclable materials to replace fossil fuel-derived plastics
.
This is where we should focus our energies and resources
.

Regardless of the controversy, relevant research shows that chemical recycling will have great potential in the future, and many energy and chemical plants have begun to deploy chemical recycling to seize market opportunities
.