My name is Renee Koval-Huenuqueo. I am the Rise Above Plastics (RAP) Coordinator for the Gray’s Harbor Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. I was born, raised, educated, I worked, raised a family and retired here, in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve long been worried about the welfare of our planet, and I am happy to have found the Surfrider Foundation which provides a way I can participate in taking care of our environment.
Ecologists and those in waste management agree that in order to find a balance between the needs of our environment and the needs of our civilization we need to work towards a goal of achieving a circular economy. The Environmental Protection Agency describes a circular economy as one that reduces material use, redesigns materials and products to be less resource intensive, and recaptures “waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. Many major US companies claim that recycling plastics is the key to achieving this goal. But since only about 5 to 6% of plastic in the US is currently being recycled, it’s difficult to see how the goal of becoming a circular economy can be met.
What makes plastic so difficult to recycle? Plastics are produced for thousands of different uses, from firm plastic in tubs, to thin plastics for chip bags, and even thinner, very flexible plastics for food wrapping. To get the desired qualities for the destined use of plastic, each different type requires a unique set of chemicals taken from the 16,000 different chemicals used for production; and let’s not forget that 1500 of these chemicals are toxic.
The most common recycling process, known as mechanical recycling, is where used plastic is first sorted into type, and then processed into pellets for reuse. Because there are so many different types of plastic, the sorting process is labor-intensive, causing this type of recycling to be so expensive that most companies find it cheaper and easier to use virgin plastic. In addition, the resulting pellets are of a much lower quality than virgin plastic, so they’re either mixed with virgin plastic, or downcycled into a different product, such as outdoor furniture or carpeting. Plastic cannot be recycled time and time again as can glass or metal, and even these downcycled products will eventually end up in a landfill. And the spiral will start again with the need to produce virgin plastic to manufacture the good quality items that, at best, will be downcycled into products requiring lesser qualities of plastic. And let’s not forget that each time plastics are processed, the bonds between the polymers that are the building blocks, are broken, and this releases toxins into our environment. Finally, virgin plastic will still be required to make new products, and this doesn’t bring us to a goal of having a circular economy.
Not all types of plastic can be processed for recycling. It’s important to check the number inside the chasing arrows insignia. I discovered that the yogurt tubs which started me on my plastic-free journey are made of #5 plastic, one not easily recyclable; so even though my waste disposal service accepts it for recycling, it will most likely end up in a landfill. Right now, the easiest plastic to recycle is #2 PET plastics, used in detergent jugs, soda and water bottles. States which have bottle deposit laws are more able to reliably recycle this plastic because collection sites provide for efficient sorting and cleaning. Unfortunately, Washington State does not currently have a bottle deposit law. HB2144 was introduced last year in Washington but was ultimately voted down by our state congress in February 2024. The Surfrider Foundation will continue to work with other concerned groups and State officials to keep reintroducing the bill, until it is passed. Which is why the Surfrider Foundation posts information so you can let our elected state officials know you support these proposals. https://www.surfrider.org/action
There is another technology referred to as “chemical or advanced recycling”, which sprouted from incineration of plastic waste. (The incineration of plastic waste isn’t a desirable way to dispose of plastic as it releases toxins in the environment,) This process involves either adding chemicals to a vat of mixed plastic types or applying extreme heat to melt them together. This process no longer requires the labor of sorting plastics. Doesn’t this sound like the Holy Grail of plastics recycling? However, so far this process has had limited success. Once the plastic has been processed, the main product is not something that can be used for new packaging. Rather, it produces a type of diesel fuel; again requiring the production of virgin plastic to make the high quality products we’ve come to depend on. Hence, chemical recycling doesn’t bring us any closer to a circular economy.
One final observation is that there is far more plastic in our environment than can be recycled. Yet the petrochemical industry continues to produce far more plastic than can possibly be recycled or processed for reuse. And the mountains of trash keep growing. The only way to curb this growth is by producing less plastic, especially that destined for single-use. Ironically, the industry uses "the hope" of recycling as an excuse to allow them to manufacture even more plastic. That doesn’t make sense. Recycling isn’t the solution, creating less plastic is the solution. (Recycling plastic is a huge topic that umbrellas several issues. Watch for my next discussion, Recycling 2: What Happens to My Plastic Waste After I Put it in the Recycling Bin?)