Analysis of Concerns RE: Chemical Recycling
China’s “National Sword” policy has triggered engineers, scientists, and policymakers to look for ways to minimize the ever-growing plastic waste problem we are currently facing. With an overall shift towards a circular economy, research in closed-loop recycling technology can be an effective strategy for policymakers tackling the plastics problem. For example, comprising 26% of all plastic waste, multi-layer film is one of the largest plastic waste streams, which is not compatible with the widely used mechanical recycling processes. However, chemical recycling is a promising option. Chemical recycling can convert plastics back into its raw material, which theoretically is an infinite recycling process. EEC|CCNY has done extensive work on waste plastics and has thought to compile this FAQ to help the public better understand chemical recycling of waste plastics.