Recycled plastics have become a crucial component in the global push toward sustainability. With growing concerns over plastic pollution and finite resources, industries are turning to recycling as a way to reduce environmental impact. This guide delves into every aspect of recycled plastics—what they are, how they’re processed, the challenges, and the future trends shaping this space.
The food packaging industry, in particular, relies heavily on plastic, making the understanding of recycled plastic a key element in achieving sustainability goals while maintaining high standards of safety, durability, and cost-effectiveness.
Recycled plastic is derived from waste plastics that are reprocessed into new materials. These plastics go through a series of steps to be transformed back into usable raw materials or final products, which can be used across various industries including packaging, textiles, construction, and automotive. By reusing plastics, companies can reduce their reliance on virgin resources and contribute to the circular economy, where materials are continuously reused rather than discarded.
The recycling process for plastic involves multiple steps, each crucial for converting waste into usable materials:
Collection: Plastics are gathered from municipal, industrial, and commercial sources. Effective collection systems are essential for ensuring a steady supply of recyclable material.
Sorting: Plastics are sorted by type (resin identification codes) to maintain purity. Automated systems like near-infrared sorting improve efficiency.
Cleaning: Plastics are thoroughly washed to remove labels, dirt, and contaminants. Contaminated plastic can reduce the quality of recycled material, making this step vital.
Shredding: After cleaning, plastics are shredded into small flakes or pellets to facilitate easier handling and processing.
Melting: The shredded plastic is melted and formed into new shapes. In some processes, it’s melted into pellets or raw materials that manufacturers can use in new products.
Reformation: Finally, the melted plastic is extruded, molded, or processed into new materials such as packaging, textiles, or construction materials.
This multi-stage process ensures that waste plastic is efficiently converted into high-quality, reusable materials, minimizing environmental impact and preserving natural resources.
Not all plastics are created equal, and understanding the differences is crucial for effective recycling. The most commonly recycled plastics include:
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): This is the most widely recycled plastic, used in beverage bottles and food packaging. It is highly recyclable and can be reprocessed multiple times into new containers or polyester fibers for clothing.
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE): Found in milk jugs, detergent bottles, and plastic bags, HDPE is durable and relatively easy to recycle. It is often used to create new containers, piping, or plastic lumber.
Polypropylene (PP): Found in yogurt containers, bottle caps, and automotive parts, PP is one of the most versatile plastics. It is recycled into products like signal lights, battery cables, or even fibers for carpets and textiles.
Polystyrene (PS): Used in foam products, disposable utensils, and packaging, PS is notoriously difficult to recycle due to contamination and the low economic value of the recycled material.
Certain plastics, such as multi-layer plastics or bioplastics, pose significant recycling challenges. Multi-layer plastics (used in food packaging) combine different types of materials that are difficult to separate, often making them unrecyclable. Similarly, bioplastics, though marketed as eco-friendly, do not break down easily in traditional recycling facilities and require industrial composting.
Each type of plastic has specific recycling requirements, and contamination, such as leftover food or mixed materials, can significantly hinder the recycling process, making proper sorting essential.
Globally, the plastic industry produces over 350 million tons of plastic annually. However, only 9% of that plastic is recycled. In 2021, it was reported that approximately 32 million tons of plastic waste was recycled worldwide, but the vast majority—about 91%—either ends up in landfills, incinerated, or leaked into the environment. Europe leads the world with a recycling rate of around 32%, while the United States recycles only about 8.5% of its plastic waste. This discrepancy arises largely due to regional differences in recycling infrastructure, consumer habits, and government regulations.
As mentioned, only 9% of all plastic produced globally is recycled. This figure comes from a 2017 study by Roland Geyer, which was published in the Science Advances Journal. Of the remaining plastic waste, about 12% is incinerated, releasing toxic gases and contributing to air pollution, while the rest—roughly 79%—accumulates in landfills or the natural environment, where it can take up to 500 years to decompose.
Once plastic is recycled, it goes through a complex process to be transformed into new materials. Common uses for recycled plastic include:
The most commonly recycled plastics include:
Plastics like Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polystyrene (PS) are rarely recycled due to technical challenges and the costs involved. Additionally, products made from multi-layer materials—like food packaging that combines plastics with aluminum or paper—are nearly impossible to recycle because separating the layers requires specialized technology. Biodegradable plastics, despite being marketed as eco-friendly, are also problematic since they can contaminate the recycling stream.
Recycled plastic can be turned into a wide variety of products:
Most plastics, particularly PET and HDPE, can only be recycled about 2-3 times before their molecular structure degrades to the point where they lose functionality. Each time plastic is recycled, its polymer chains shorten, reducing its durability and flexibility. However, chemical recycling—a newer technology—promises to break down plastics into their original monomers, theoretically allowing them to be recycled an infinite number of times without degradation, although this technology is still being scaled.
As the food industry moves towards sustainability, adopting recycled plastics for packaging is becoming a key strategy. However, balancing environmental goals with food safety regulations presents both opportunities and challenges. Here's a deep dive into the key factors:
Food Safety Regulations: Regulatory agencies like the FDA and EFSA set stringent guidelines for recycled plastics that come into contact with food. Ensuring compliance is crucial but often requires advanced cleaning technologies to meet safety standards.
Cost Disparities: The cost of producing recycled plastic, especially food-grade plastic, is higher than virgin plastic due to the extensive cleaning, sorting, and reprocessing steps involved.
Supply Chain Complexity: Controlling the quality of post-consumer plastics for food use can be difficult due to contamination risks, requiring extensive testing and processing to meet industry standards.
FDA Compliance: In the United States, recycled plastics intended for direct contact with food must adhere to strict regulations, including meeting requirements for contaminant removal, processing additives, and maintaining traceability throughout the supply chain.
European Union Regulations: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) mandates that all recycled plastic materials must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, ensuring they do not pose risks to food safety. Additionally, the EU Circular Economy Action Plan promotes the use of recycled content in packaging as part of its goal to achieve a circular economy by 2050.
Chemical Recycling: Innovations in chemical recycling technologies are addressing quality degradation issues by breaking down plastics to their original monomers, allowing them to be reused for food-grade packaging without the risk of contamination. This technology is still in its early stages but promises to revolutionize the use of recycled plastics in the food industry.
Closed-Loop Systems: Companies are increasingly looking towards closed-loop recycling, where they manage the entire lifecycle of their packaging materials. By reclaiming their own waste, food companies can better control material quality and ensure the recycled plastics meet their standards.
New Materials and Packaging Innovations: As the food industry shifts towards sustainable solutions, new materials such as bioplastics and advanced polymers are emerging as complementary alternatives to traditional recycled plastics. These materials can offer comparable durability while meeting stringent food safety regulations.
Recycled plastic presents both a tremendous opportunity and significant challenges for food companies aiming to achieve sustainability. The benefits, from reducing environmental impact to meeting consumer demand for eco-friendly products, are undeniable. However, these advantages come with hurdles like regulatory compliance, costs, and contamination risks. As technology advances, including chemical recycling and closed-loop systems, the future of recycled plastics in food packaging looks promising.
To effectively navigate these challenges, food companies can leverage SGS Digicomply Sustainability Intelligence. Powered by AI, this tool offers automated identification and monitoring of sustainability risks and opportunities, ensuring compliance with global standards and improving sustainability across the food industry.