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Can most plastic be recycled? The answer, as per this Greenpeace US report, is…
The Greenpeace study offers a grim view of recycling of plastic waste in the US.
In 2021, about 51 million tonnes of plastic was generated by households in the United States but only 2.4 million of this was recycled, reveals a new report by Greenpeace. "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again" - the study by the global campaigner - highlights as the conclusion that "most types of plastic packaging were economically impossible to recycle at the time and would remain so in the future".
Moreover, instead of stepping forward, the US seems to be going backwards as far as plastic recycling is concerned. From 9.5 per cent in 2014 to 8.7 per cent in 2018 and 5-6 per cent in 2021 - plastic recycling is said to have declined in the country, Greenpeace - that works for environmental concerns - further highlights.
And why does it contest the claim of recyclable plastic? Here’s what it has got to say in a statement - “Two of the most common plastics in the U.S. that are often considered recyclable – PET #1 and HDPE #2, typically bottles and jugs – fall well below the EMF NPE threshold, only achieving reprocessing rates of 20.9% and 10.3%, respectively. For every other type of plastic, the reprocessing rate is less than 5%.”
“While PET #1 and HDPE #2 were previously thought of as recyclable, this report finds that being accepted by a recycling processing plant does not necessarily result in them being recycled – effectively negating the recyclability claim,” it adds.
Even everyday packaging serves a tough challenge. The commonly used fast food service items do not meet nearly 60 per cent of requirements to make it acceptable for being called recyclable, it has been underlined. Further, the report points out the decades-long misinformation campaign being waged by plastics, packaging and recycling industries. And instead of plastic, false promises - made 30 years ago about the use of chemical methods - are being recycled.
