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How COVID-19 Could Change the Economics of the Plastic Recycling Sector
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This economics study analyzed how the COVID-19-induced crash in oil prices affected the economics of plastic recycling, finding that cheaper virgin plastic (derived from oil) makes recycled plastic less competitive. When oil prices fall, plastic recycling becomes less economically viable, potentially reducing recycling rates and increasing the amount of plastic waste entering the environment as microplastic pollution.
The price of oil has a great influence on prices of recycled plastics and, therefore, plastic recycling efforts. Here, we analyze the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on crude oil price and how this, in turn, is likely to affect the degree of plastic recycling that takes place. Impulse response functions and variance decompositions, calculated from the structural vector autoregression, suggest that changes in crude oil prices are key drivers of the price of recycled plastics. The findings highlight that because plastics are made from the by-products of oil, falling oil prices increase the cost of recycling. Therefore, the price of recycled plastics should be supported using taxes while encouraging sustained behavioral changes among consumers and producers to selectively collect and recycle personal protective equipment so that they do not clog our landfills or end up in our water bodies as plastic waste.
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Plastic waste management during and post Covid19 pandemic: Challenges and strategies towards circular economy
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This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic worsened plastic waste management by driving up PPE use and making virgin plastics cheaper than recycled alternatives, with 40% of plastic waste ending up in landfills globally. Researchers propose circular economy strategies—including feedstock recycling and waste valorization into fuels and building materials—to address the mounting crisis.
Plastics in the Circular Economy
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This book examines the role of plastics in the circular economy, reviewing how the current linear plastics economy generates environmental problems including microplastic pollution from fossil oil use and unmanaged plastic waste. The authors assess circular economy strategies including recycling, biodegradable alternatives, and design for disassembly as pathways to maintain the benefits of plastics while reducing their environmental footprint.
Plastic wastes in the time of COVID-19: Their environmental hazards and implications for sustainable energy resilience and circular bio-economies
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This study examines how the surge in plastic waste during the COVID-19 pandemic, including personal protective equipment and packaging materials, has worsened environmental pollution. Researchers found that weathered plastic particles from PPE can adsorb chemical and microbial contaminants, posing risks to ecosystems and human health. The study argues that the pandemic could serve as an opportunity to improve life cycle assessment approaches and develop more sustainable plastic waste management strategies.
A Brief Review on Plastic Pollution and Roads Towards its Reduction
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This brief review summarized sources of plastic pollution and evaluated reduction strategies, noting that COVID-19 increased single-use plastic consumption dramatically. The review calls for improved waste management, stronger regulations, and development of biodegradable plastic alternatives to reduce the microplastic burden.
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a shift to a plastic circular economy
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Researchers argue that the COVID-19 pandemic's surge in single-use plastic demand exposes deep flaws in linear plastic waste management, calling for coordinated action by governments, industry, and researchers to shift toward circular economy principles including intelligent design and sustainable upcycling of plastics.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.