Chemical Recycling is the process of alternating the chemical structure of polymeric waste and transforming them into materials that can be used for the manufacture of plastics and other products. While it is considered to be an effective way to recycle plastic polymers, it is still a form of recycling that needs further research and technology innovations in order to be implemented on a larger scale.
The Study
A recent study on comparison of the environmental and economic impact of plastic waste recycling and energy recovery technologies, performed by the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission, states the importance of chemical recycling for the substantial increase of plastics recycling within Europe and the changes than need to be implemented in order to reach that goal.
Europe’s Current Situation
At the moment, the EU percentage of plastics being recycled at the end of their life cycle, in relation to the films placed on the market, is still relatively low at 18 %, and it mainly derives from mechanical recycling. The study indicates that reaching the desired goal of 80 % by 2030 requires further improvements in mechanical recycling, while also integrating chemical recycling into the plastics recycling process, boosting the aforementioned process rather than replacing it.
How Can Plastic Waste Recycling Be Improved
The research underlines the need for better quality of the input of recyclable plastic materials in order for them to be transformed into new products and improve their circularity. Lack of information on the waste-feedstock composition is another challenge for researchers, since it is vital in understanding the cases in which chemical recycling and mechanical recycling may end up, not complimenting, but competing each other.
It is also mentioned that a large number of companies are expecting for the European Commission to set a legislative framework for chemical recycling, in order to make this process globally scalable.
The study concludes by reminding the limitations of mechanical recycling and the potential it holds when paired with chemical recycling, while indicating the necessity of future research and innovations on both types of recycling and their combination, for a substantial increase on the total recycling rate of plastics in Europe.
