Recycling Plastics: What’s Happening Now?

EFP is committed to improving the recycling of EPS and other plastics. In this blog, we’ll discuss the status of the plastics recycling ecosystem in the US, the various methods available to recycle plastics, and some of the initiatives being taken by EFP to enhance the recycling of EPS.

Let’s start with a review of plastics recycling in general.

Methods of Plastics Recycling:

There are several methods available to recycle plastics, each with its own processes and technologies. The key methods are:

1. Mechanical Recycling
This is the most common method, where plastics are physically processed to be reused in new products. The steps involved are:

• • Collection and Sorting: Plastics are collected, sorted by type (EPS, PET, HDPE, etc.), and cleaned.
  • Shredding: The sorted plastics are shredded into small pieces.
  • Melting and Reformation: The shredded plastic is melted and reformed into new plastic products, like containers, fibers, or packaging.
  • Reprocessing: Some plastics can be melted and reused repeatedly without degrading.

2. Chemical Recycling
Chemical recycling involves breaking down plastics into their basic chemical components using heat or chemicals. These components can be reused to make new plastics. Types of chemical recycling include:

• • Pyrolysis: Heating plastics in the absence of oxygen to break them down into oils or gases.
  • Gasification: Converting plastics into syngas (synthetic gas), which can be used for energy.
  • Depolymerization: Breaking down plastics like EPS or PET into their monomers, which can then be repolymerized into new products.

3. Energy Recovery
Energy recovery uses waste plastics as a source of fuel, either by combustion or through processes like pyrolysis. The heat generated can be converted into electricity or used for industrial purposes.

4. Biological Recycling (Biodegradation)
Biological recycling focuses on breaking down plastics using natural microorganisms or enzymes. This method is still largely experimental and limited to specific types of biodegradable plastics.

5. Advanced Recycling Technologies
Innovative approaches such as solvent-based recycling and enzyme-based recycling are emerging, aiming to improve the efficiency of recycling by breaking down plastics into monomers for high-quality reuse.

Current Status of Plastic Recycling Overall:

The state of plastic recycling varies by region across the US, but overall recycling rates today are relatively low. According to estimates, while EPS, PET and HDPE are recycled at rates around 30%, only about 9% of overall plastics waste produced in the US is recycled. The major challenges facing plastic recycling include:

• Sorting Complexity: Many plastics are mixed with additives or contaminants, making sorting and recycling difficult.
• Lack of Infrastructure: In many regions, the infrastructure for collection, sorting, and processing plastics is inadequate.
• Quality Degradation: Mechanical recycling can degrade the quality of the plastic, making it unsuitable for some high-end applications.
• Limited Markets for Some Recycled Plastics: Recycling of plastics is easiest to achieve when the recycled plastics stream is made up of a single type of plastic with little contamination. Many plastic products that consist of multiple materials, think of metalized plastic pouches for fruit juice. Contamination of plastics with other materials, such as paper labels, also create recycling challenges.   When plastics waste streams are not pure, the demand for recycled plastic is not always high.
• Competition from Virgin Plastic: In many cases, the cost of virgin plastic resin remains cheaper than recycled plastic resin.

Current Status of Recycling for EPS Transport Packaging:

Although the recycling of EPS has some unique challenges, the recycling of EPS transport packaging (our main focus at EFP) is proving to be very straightforward and very circular.

• Collection, Sorting, Densification and Transportation: Although general collection of EPS from curb-side recycling programs is limited today, through the efforts of the EPS Industry Alliance and others, access to collection points is being greatly expanded.

In the case of EPS for transport packaging, the situation is very different. For example, EPS used for protection of appliances during transportation is routinely collected by many Big-Box-Stores. After delivery of an appliance to the consumer, packaging materials used to protect these appliances are returned to the distribution warehouse and sorted. EPS from these facilities is compressed into logs of densified EPS, palletized, and sold back to manufacturers of recycled EPS resins such as Epsilyte.

• Recycling & Re-Manufacture: Because of the closed loop and circular nature of these operations, this stream of recycled EPS tends to be very high quality (pure and with minimal contaminants). This makes the job of turning the recycled EPS into new, post-consumer EPS resin very straightforward, requiring only heat and electricity, with essentially no other harmful pollutants entering the environment

• Re-Use of Post-Consumer Recycled EPS: Products made with 50% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) EPS are a reality today at EFP. We have a steady supply of 50% PCR resins and have demonstrated that EPS products made with the recycled EPS perform just as well as those made from virgin EPS. And because of the circular nature of EPS used in transport packaging, products made with 50% PCR are cost competitive with those made from virgin EPS.

Impact of Plastic Recycling:

The potential benefits of improving plastic recycling are significant, both environmentally and economically:

• Environmental Benefits

• • Reduction in Waste: Recycling helps reduce the volume of plastic waste that ends up in landfills or the ocean.
  • Conservation of Resources: By reusing plastic, fewer raw materials (such as petroleum) are needed to produce new plastics.
  • Lower Carbon Footprint: Recycling uses less energy compared to producing new plastic from raw materials, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Reduction in Pollution: Proper recycling reduces plastic litter in ecosystems, protecting wildlife and marine life.

• Economic Benefits

• • Job Creation: The recycling industry creates jobs in collection, sorting, processing, and research and development of new technologies.
  • Cost Savings: Recycling can reduce the need for virgin materials, which can lower production costs in some industries.

• Circular Economy

• • The adoption of plastic recycling plays a critical role in transitioning towards a circular economy, where products and materials are reused, reducing the need for raw materials and minimizing waste.

Conclusion

Plastic recycling offers substantial environmental, economic, and sustainability benefits. Although the recycling of some plastics is limited by technological challenges, economic factors, and infrastructure gaps, EPS used for transportation packaging is proving to be very circular with an increasingly mature recycling and reuse infrastructure.

Advancements in technology, increased awareness, and governmental policies aimed at reducing plastic waste are driving improvements across the plastics recycling ecosystem. At EFP and in the overall EPS Industry, real progress is being made toward a more sustainable, circular reality. Minimizing the negative impact of plastic packaging on the environment, however, will take the commitment and involvement of numerous stakeholder groups.

We at EFP look forward to working with all interested stakeholders to make the promise of circular use of EPS protective packaging and cold chain packaging a reality!

Written by Joe Grzyb, Director of Sustainability.

Joe Grzyb (pronounced “Gribb”) has over 25 years of experience in leading, managing, and growing high-tech companies primarily in the temperature-controlled packaging industry. Joe was a Co-Founder of NatureKool® and he now joins EFP as our first-ever Director of Sustainability. Before joining EFP, Joe held positions such as Founder of Aspen Technologies, CEO of Phase Change Energy Solutions, and leadership roles at AmeriTech Exports, ITT Defense and the US Air Force.