Can recycling plastic solve pollution? The answer is "no". You may be surprised by this answer, but the report "Eternal Toxic" released by Greenpeace in 2023 does point out that plastics not only increase toxicity during the recycling process, but also harm recycling site workers, nearby communities, and even End consumers pose a serious health threat.
Recycling plastic means recycling toxic chemicals
A report "Eternal Toxic: Scientific Research on the Health Threats from Plastic Recycling" released by Greenpeace US in May 2023 states that plastic contains 13,000 chemicals, more than 3,200 of which have been confirmed to be harmful to humans, and many more Its toxicity has not been evaluated. Therefore, once plastic enters the recycling system, it is equivalent to recycling the toxic chemicals in it.
Recycled plastics usually contain higher levels of chemicals and are more toxic, including benzene, toxic flame retardants, endocrine disruptors, environmental pollutants such as brominated and chlorinated dioxin, and other carcinogens, making recycled plastic unsuitable for Food grade or other consumer uses. In other words, plastic is not inherently suitable for the circular economy.
Three poison transfer pathways for plastic recycling
Almost all plastics are composed of carbon (mostly oil/natural gas) and toxic chemicals. There are three uncontrollable transfer paths of toxic chemicals during the recycling process:
- Toxic chemicals in new virgin plastic materials:
When plastics made with toxic chemicals are recycled, the toxic substances are transferred directly into the recycled plastic.
- Toxic substances seep into plastic waste:
Plastic absorbs pollutants by absorbing volatile compounds. When plastic is contaminated by toxins in waste streams and the environment and then recycled, it becomes recycled plastic containing toxic chemicals. For example, plastic containers containing pesticides, cleaning solvents and other toxic chemicals can lead to contamination of recycled plastic when they enter the recycling chain.
- New toxic chemicals created during recycling:
When plastics are heated during the recycling process, new toxic chemicals may be produced into the recycled plastics. For example, brominated dioxins may be produced when recycling plastics containing brominated flame retardants. , the stabilizers used in plastic recycling may decompose into highly toxic substances.
Improper classification and specific packaging ingredients after classification may also cause the toxicity of recycled plastics. Studies have found that mechanical recycling of No. 1 plastic (PET#1) may produce the carcinogen benzene (benzene), even if exposed to a small amount of No. 3 plastic (PVC#3) , may also lead to the presence of carcinogens in recycled plastics.
The biggest victims of plastic recycling are around you and me
food chain:
In 2021, the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) collected egg samples from 25 locations around the world, including 35 concentrated egg samples and 1 individual egg sample, and analyzed whether they contained specific "persistent organic pollutants" The study found that eggs produced around e-waste and plastic waste recycling sites were among the most contaminated samples in the study.
Recycling personnel:
A 2023 IPEN study found plastic flame retardant chemicals (DP, Dechlorane Plus) in the blood, food and surrounding environment of a household recycling worker in Thailand. Compared with farm workers outside the country, the former is nearly 280 times higher.
Community:
In 2020, the number of fires at plastic recycling sites in Malaysia doubled from the previous year. Environmental health experts warned local residents that smoke from the fires could cause breathing problems, cause or worsen asthma, and cause rashes and eye pain.
A fire broke out at the Nanya Plastics Linkou Factory in New Taipei City, Taiwan on April 7, 2023. The diffusion simulation results and micro-sensor data analysis of the New Taipei City Environmental Protection Bureau showed that people in Taishan, Wugu, Linkou, Sanchong, and Xinzhuang located downwind If you are severely affected by air pollution, you must close doors and windows and wear a mask.
child:
In 2021, IPEN analyzed recycled plastic pellets (plastic pellets) purchased from a total of 24 recycling sites in 23 countries. The results found that all pellet samples contained at least one toxic chemical, and 21 samples contained three tested chemicals. These include chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system, as well as chemicals related to neurotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and cardiovascular disease. The report warns that recycled plastic particles are often used to make toys and other children's products, and children are vulnerable to exposure risks. Ethnic group.
Stop obsessing over recycling rates, reducing plastic production is the fundamental solution
According to a report released by the Ministry of Environment in 2022, Taiwan's general waste recycling rate reached 56.79%, ranking among the best in the world and an indicator that many people are proud of. But please be careful, don’t fall into the trap of fake Taiwan Light. Your and my daily efforts to recycle are most likely just in vain.
The so-called recycling rate only refers to the transfer of waste to the next recipient and has nothing to do with actual recycling. According to statistics from the Industrial Research Institute and the Ministry of Environment, the recycling rate in 2022 is only 22.56%, compared with nearly 57%. There is a huge gap in recycling rates. This means that although Taiwan is proud of its "high resource recovery rate", this does not mean that the resources are actually effectively reused. Instead, they are likely to be incinerated or buried.
According to estimates from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), only 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally, and the remaining 91% is incinerated, buried, or flows into the natural environment. By 2060, plastic production is expected to triple. This means that the "plastic giant" will become even larger and continue to threaten the survival of humans and the entire ecosystem.
Greenpeace advocates that the content of the Global Plastics Pact must be formulated towards the goal of "reducing plastic production by 75%" and requires governments and companies to implement reuse and refill business models and ensure that the plastics industry transformation process is fair and fair. fair.
The United Nations expects to complete the formulation of the Global Plastics Pact by the end of 2024. This year can be said to be the most critical year for global plastic reduction!
Source: GREENPEACEGreenpeace
