The Plight of Plastics | Part 2: Disposal & “Recycling”

[This article is a continuation of Part 1: Oil Extraction & Refinement, which discusses the troubling origins of plastic.]

Disposing of Plastic: The Plight Continues

“It’s only one straw,” said 7.7 billion people.

As described in a recent article on disposable stuff, there are three main pathways for our waste. It can either go to the landfill, be used as fuel for combustion, or become part of continuous circulation.

The narrative is no different for plastics, and honestly, it might even be more dire. With thousands of unique chemical makeups, plastics are characteristically ambiguous materials. This means that they are especially tricky to dispose of at the end of their useful (toss-away) lives. 

To gain a sobering perspective of our current disposal methods, take a look at the production-to-disposal ratios from 2018.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States produced 35,680 tons of plastic. Of that total, 26,970 tons of plastic (75.59%) were landfilled, 5,620 tons (15.75%) were combusted with energy recovery, and only 3,090 tons (8.6%) were recycled.

Disposal Impacts of Landfills

So, despite our aspirations, the majority of plastics are sent to the landfill.

Anyone who has driven by a landfill knows their trademark stench. Most of us cringe at the overwhelming olfactory attack, and it’s not without cause. Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions, with methane comprising 50-60% of their outgassing. This is concerning, as methane is 28-34 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

In addition to that methane, though, there are nearly 30 other hazardous air pollutants identified in uncontrolled landfill gases. Some of these are benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and vinyl chloride—all of which are associated with adverse health effects. With plastics containing questionable cocktails of chemicals, it’s certain that there are many more noxious compounds in landfill emissions.

Moreover, within the landfills, rainwater mixes with these petrochemicals and other household waste, producing leachate—a liquid byproduct that is incredibly toxic. In turn, leachate seeps into the natural environment, threatening the health of local communities and their groundwater supply.

Similarities with Combustion

Combustion for energy recovery has similar effects. Akin to the fuel in our cars, burning petroleum-based products will always spew dioxins into the atmosphere. These inorganic gases, like methane and carbon dioxide, contribute to the greenhouse effect and thus, accelerate climate change. And of course, our intimate interactions with chemicalized airs and waters (e.g. breathing, drinking) isn’t optimal for human health, either.

Ambient air pollution is responsible for millions of premature deaths each year. However, marginalized communities are the most heavily impacted by waste disposal processes and gas emissions. Low-income areas, which are predominantly comprised of minority populations, are exposed to disproportionately higher concentrations of hazardous compounds due to their proximity to landfills, combustion facilities, and chemical refineries.

Just like that, a seeming “environmental concern” becomes a public health and social justice dilemma.

What ABout Plastics Recycling?

By now, fair reader, you have undoubtedly noticed that recycling hasn’t been on our radar.

That was purely intentional—because in the majority of cases, plastic recycling is nothing more than an idealistic myth. 

The blue recycling bins on the curb veil our understanding. Our “proper disposal” of recyclables erroneously enforces out-of-sight, out-of-mind complacency. We generally believe that any material with the infamous ♺ symbol can be recycled, but that simply isn’t the case.

Tidbit: The “recycling symbol” ♺ is only an indicator of which type of plastic the material is made of. Not its recyclability! We have to confirm with local disposal facilities which plastic categories are recyclable in our area. 

There are several main reasons why plastics are diverted from the recycling steam. One of the foremost is that plastics are not created equally; therefore, they cannot be uniformly recycled. By mixing recyclables with non-recyclables, entire loads are considered contaminated—and thus get carted off for other means of disposal. Food debris, like the grease left over on a pizza box, is also a major culprit for contamination.

Inefficiency of Plastics Processing

Certain plastics wreak havoc on recycling systems, too. The Low Density Polyethylene (#4 LDPE) in films and disposable shopping bags, for example, is commonly mistaken as recyclable. The truth is that they frequently jam up sorting machines, making them altogether inefficient to process. Instead, these plastics must be left at drop-off stations often found at retail stores. If they cannot be dropped off, then LDPE should be sent directly to the landfill to avoid recycling contamination. (Hence, our avoidance of it is the strongest option.) 

Styrofoam (#6 Polystyrene) is another plastic derivative that’s misunderstood. This material is in our takeout containers, deli trays, and disposable coolers—all of which boast the deceitful ♺ symbol. In reality, because Polystyrene is composed of so much air, it’s too time- and cost-intensive to compress and repurpose. So many municipalities simply don’t.

Granted, recycling #4 and #6 plastics isn’t impossible. However, the processes are often too costly and labor-intensive for local facilities to justify.

These financial and functional logistics are why developed nations prefer to ship their plastic waste to other countries. Notably, before China’s “National Sword” policy banned most solid waste imports in 2018, 95% of the European Union’s and 70% of the United States’ recyclables were sent there.

Now, without the world’s lead recycler accepting imported plastics, local municipalities have been pinched between a batch of unlikable options. Their choice is to either 1) fund recycling programs and facilities that can manage our diverse and huge amounts of waste, 2) dump the obscene amounts of waste into landfills, or 3) allow it to accumulate, contributing to the planetary eye-sore of continuous circulation. 

The WIcked Problem of Plastics

Recycling costs are high, while the value of repurposed materials remains low due to their reduced quality. For most stakeholders, the trade-off isn’t worthwhile; recycling yields too little profit. Naturally, because we are obsessively identified with it, money holds the most power. As such, most of our plastics are presently buried in landfills—not being repurposed. 

The plastics crisis is a “wicked problem.” That is, there isn’t one singular, concrete solution for the plight of plastics. At its core, plastic’s existence is a symptom of our buy-fast, ditch-quick consumer culture, underpinned by petrochemical industries that fuel the global marketplace. Interwoven with crude oil and waste disposal are the complexities of racial injustice, social inequality, human and animal health, and environmental impact, making a one-size-fits-all solution virtually impossible.

In plainer terms, we’re already knee-deep in plastic muck. To push it to extinction will require both radical systemic change and, very likely, several generations of time. Even if the entire population went zero-waste this minute, the plastics here today are pervasive enough to outlast us all. 

Reduce First, Recycle Last

The popular catchphrase reduce, reuse, recycle is in that order not because it’s quippy and easy to remember. Instead, it’s listed by level of priority.

Reduction is our primary responsibility as consumers. Recycling is supposed to be the last consideration, only after something has been used to its fullest capacity.

It takes hundreds of millions of years for the earth to generate the fossils that we make into non-durable plastics. Then we buy, use and dispose of those same plastics in a matter of literal (and geological) minutes. Since the advent of plastic, we have taken a thankless approach, forgetting the natural and human labor that went into our exalted stuff in the first place.

Call to Mindfulness

We must be conscious of our buying power, and start to honor the resources we use. To cast away the habits of our indifferent minds is necessary. Then, acknowledging our present disharmony and foreseeing the needs of future generations, we cultivate awareness. These are the first breaths of solidarity.

Fair reader, these final notes are a plea to pay attention to the plight of plastics. Imagine the mighty, sweeping wave that would ensue if we re-wrote the first line of this article:

“I can go without the straw, thank you,” said 7.7 billion people.

Change is possible so long as we internalize that every marathon, mountain-climb, and revolution begins with one move. From mindful consumption to informed disposal, our individual, everyday decisions influence our global prognosis.

So, how will you choose?

⋆.ೃ࿔ :･⚝⭑

Revitalized from The New Leaf Project, a previous blog. Originally posted on 14 July 2022.