We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Quantities of Recycled Plastic Waste in the EU and Croatia
Summary
This paper is not directly about microplastics research; it reviews plastic recycling quantities in the EU and Croatia, examining mechanical, chemical, and energy recovery methods and the progress of EU member states toward circular economy targets for plastic waste management.
The growing use of plastics has simultaneously increased the accumulation of ubiquitous plastic waste in landfills and the environment, posing global aesthetic and ecological challenges. Consequently, various waste disposal procedures are implemented, with recycling or waste recovery occupying a prominent position in the waste management hierarchy. Plastic waste recovery includes mechanical, chemical, or energy-related processes, yielding products suitable for reuse. This method of plastic waste disposal is currently the most cost-effective solution, aiming to avoid landfill dumping and reduce waste volumes. In the past two decades, the focus of waste management has shifted increasingly from disposal methods to prevention and recycling, with European Union (EU) member states committed to implementing and harmonising current legal measures related to plastic items prescribed by EU directives. The ultimate goal is to transition toward a circular economy model, promoting the sustainable use of plastics and minimising waste generation. Despite the increasing waste production rate in the EU, the quantity of municipal waste dumped in landfills has decreased overall, partly due to the introduction of European legislation, such as the Directive 62/1994 on packaging and packaging waste. However, Croatia’s plastic packaging waste recycling rate still lags behind the EU average.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
On technological solutions for recycling of recycling of polymer waste: A review
This paper is not directly about microplastics; it reviews technological approaches to recycling polymer waste — mechanical, chemical, and energy-based methods — and analyzes their economic and environmental trade-offs. Better plastic recycling technology is relevant to microplastic prevention insofar as it reduces the amount of plastic that degrades into environmental microplastic particles.
Polymer‐Based Recycling Strategies for Plastic Waste: A Comprehensive Review
This comprehensive review evaluates mechanical and chemical recycling strategies for plastic waste, noting that mechanical recycling is widely used but limited by polymer degradation, while chemical recycling offers higher quality recovery but at greater energy and financial cost. The study highlights emerging technologies including AI-assisted sorting, nanotechnology, and biodegradable polymer development as promising approaches for building a more circular plastics economy.
The U.S. plastics recycling economy :
This NIST report analyzes the current state of US plastics recycling, comparing state and international recycling programs, examining incentives and barriers for different stakeholders, and evaluating the potential of chemical recycling to supplement mechanical recycling.
Current Advances and Challenges in Chemical Recycling of Polymeric Materials
This review examines current advances and remaining challenges in chemical recycling of polymeric materials as an alternative to mechanical recycling, which degrades material properties with repeated cycling. The authors discuss the high efficiency and simpler preprocessing requirements of chemical recycling methods against a backdrop of approximately 150 million metric tonnes of annual global plastic waste generation.
The Circular Economy in EU Policy as a Response to Contemporary Ecological Challenges
This article reviews how EU countries are implementing circular economy policies and progress toward reducing plastic waste, finding large variation across member states. Shifting from linear to circular plastic economies is critical for reducing the production of waste that generates microplastics.