Recycling Strategies for Thermoplastic Waste Management

Abstract

Increased consumption of plastics and poor recycling rates have made thermoplastic waste a significant issue of environmental and resource-management concern. This paper assesses the situation in the field of thermal plastic waste facility management focusing on India and analysing mechanical, chemical, and hybrid recycling as possible ways of moving toward a circular economy. Even among that theoretically recyclable group of thermoplastics, PE, PP, PET, and PVC, recycling rates are low in practice because of contamination, inefficient collection mechanisms, polymer mixture and the lack of sorting facilities. The study provides a comparison of the returns in recycling pathway, energy demands, greenhouse-gas emission, and cost viability of various recycling routes through a mixed-method research design where a quantitative performance indicator will be combined with the qualitative insights of the stakeholders. Findings indicate that the system in India is dominated by mechanical recycling due to the low cost and high accessibility of the practice, although the system leads to down-cycling and generates mediocre quality recyclate.

Policy loopholes and lack of absolute enforcement of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and partial practices in the industry further limit the technological adoption. The paper concludes that the problem of the implementation of efficient thermoplastic recycling should be solved at the system level, meaning that all the mechanisms of collection, sorting, processing, and market should be aligned instead of enhancing technologies. The major suggestions consist of the enhancement of the quality of feedstock by establishing better sorting facilities, encouraging design-recycle approaches, creating chemical and hybrid recycle pilot schemes, and creating reliable certified resins markets. Such interventions can contribute to closing the disconnect between potential and actual performance of recycling to achieve a stronger circular economy of thermoplastics.