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Deep geological disposal of plastic waste: Pros and cons
Summary
This paper proposes deep geological disposal — storing plastic waste in abandoned mines, quarries, and caves — as an alternative to recycling, incineration, and landfilling, arguing it would prevent the fragmentation of plastics into microplastics and contain chemical leaching while preserving plastic as a future raw material. While not a microplastic study itself, it is directly relevant as it addresses the root cause of microplastic generation by proposing a containment strategy that would stop plastic from breaking down in the environment.
Plastic waste accumulation is a global environmental issue. Current methods (recycling, incineration, landfilling, etc.) are not a sustainable long-term solution and so far they cannot prevent continuous accumulation of plastic waste worldwide. This article introduces the concept of deep geological disposal (DGD) of plastic waste as an alternative strategy. The concept principally differs from the traditional landfilling. In the latter, plastic waste is affected by chemical, physical, and microbial factors that cause plastic fragmentation and environmental leakage. On the contrary, DGD isolates plastic waste in abandoned mines, quarries and caves, ensuring safe long-term containment of the waste and the possibility of its reuse as a raw material in the future. Another advantage of DGD is that these geological structures usually have transport infrastructure and storage facilities, and, as a result, they offer a more controlled environment with reduced risk of leachate, microplastic dispersion, and surface pollution. The paper discusses the practical, economic, and environmental aspects of the concept of DGD of plastic waste. The proposal does not offer to replace other available mechanisms of plastic waste management, it presents DGD as a complementary and potentially effective method for addressing non-recyclable and mismanaged plastic waste worldwide.