The increasing presence of plastics on land and, more concerningly, in the world’s oceans is a sign that plastic usage in our modern world has gotten out of hand. The challenge becomes more apparent as the industry expects to increase output, owing in part to low oil and gas prices.
PE is the most commonly used plastic on a global scale (which includes HDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE). PE, PP, PVC, PS, and PET account for 85 percent of global plastics demand. Polyester, based on PET, dominates the fibre world, accounting for 70% of total production.
Since 1950, only 9% of all plastics discarded have been recycled. Approximately 12% of the plastic has been incinerated. The remainder is still present in the environment, whether in landfills, dumpsites, oceans, incinerator residues, or elsewhere, and will most likely remain so for millennia.
One of the major challenges that the European recycled plastic market faces is the lack of an effective recycling methodology for mixed plastic waste. Despite the fact that most companies claim that there has been promising growth in this market, some claim that their business has grown at a rate far below the GDP.
Here are some of the challenges that waste trading companies face in the recycled plastic industry.
Ineffective consistency of materials or product recyclability
This is one of the major challenges that waste trading companies face because the amount or type of chemical or dye used in each plastic product varies, even if they are manufactured by the same company. This restricts the ability to recycle this plastic because it may contaminate or even degrade the quality of the recycled product.
Customer Demand is Fluctuating
The demand for recycled plastics from industry is extremely low. Oil prices have an impact on plastics because they are at the heart of the fossil fuel economy. When these are low, virgin materials become inexpensive, reducing demand for used plastics.
Sorting Quality Is Inefficient
Plastic sorting is an important step in waste management techniques. Manual sorting becomes feasible when the components are present in large quantities, but it is time-consuming. Most waste trader businesses necessitate complex infrastructure that employs multiple technologies to achieve optimal output, which can be costly.
Injustice in the Environment
Plastic scrap trade on a global scale entails serious environmental injustices. Many plastics exported are low-grade mixed plastics with no local markets. In addition, a lack of transparency facilitates illegal waste trade.
Conclusion
To keep recycling systems running, Europe is heavily reliant on exports. The EU exports 40% of the plastics it collects for recycling. The International Organization for Standardization has established a number of standards for plastics recycling.
Although European exports of plastic waste for recycling are high, it is unclear whether this will be the case in the future. Imports are some of the downstream problems that the recycling market may face, given the growing awareness of the negative effects of plastic pollution and the rise in EU political action on plastics, as well as ever-changing markets such as China’s ban on plastic scrap.
