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Evaluation of Plastic Recycling and Novel UV-Oriented Solution for Integration, Resilience, Inclusiveness, and Sustainability
Summary
This review evaluates plastic recycling rates and waste management strategies in the context of rapid urbanization, noting that less than 10% of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic produced since the 1950s has been recycled, and proposes UV-oriented treatment solutions to improve integration, resilience, and sustainability of plastic waste management.
At present, rapid urbanization has resulted in increased production of commodities, thereby enhancing the convenience of human lives. However, these products generate a lot of waste, which leads to severe environmental challenges damaging mother earth. Plastic has been an essential part of the world as society continues to develop. Bottles, toys, cars, and electronic products all have plastic components. With plastic becoming an increasingly ubiquitous presence in our daily lives, the production of plastic has also soared. A study estimated that 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced from the early 1950s to 2017 [1]. As production increases, disposal methods also need to improve. However, according to UNEP, less than 10% are recycled [2]. If plastic is not properly processed, it would remain in the world forever and create mass destruction to our environment. The oceans serve as a pertinent example, wherein a significant influx of plastic finds its way through waterways and beaches. As time moves on, plastic will start to degrade and become microplastic. According to the data, there is 51 trillion microplastic litter in the ocean [3]. They then affect our health entering the food chain, since a lot of sea animals see them as food. Overwhelmed plastics also affect human health. A research found that an apple has around 195,500 plastic particles per gram, ranking the highest among items they tested [4]. A report estimates that a person could eat a credit-card-size of plastics per week. Out of all types of plastics, including PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS, and others [5]. PVC is estimated to be the most toxic to the human body. It contains a lot of phthalates, which can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system. In this paper, we evaluate plastic pollution based on the framework of a closed feedback control loop: data acquisition, communication, decision-making, and action. Currently, there are multiple ways to collect data. For example, researchers can capture images from unmanned aerial vehicles and self-designed trucks. There are existing operational technologies that are actively engaged in the collection of plastics, particularly within the marine environment, such as 4ocean’s skimmer and Mr. Trash Wheel in Baltimore [6], [7]. There are also innovations such as turning used plastics into bricks [8]. In addition, We propose that effective smart plastic recycling should ideally interact with the other seven smart city subsystems proposed by UV: Smart Home, Smart Medicine and Healthcare, Smart ITS, Urban planning and Crowd management, Smart Energy Management, Smart City Infrastructure, Smart Response System for City Emergencies, and Smart Humanity.
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