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An Overview of Circular Economy Approaches for Plastics
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This overview examined circular economy approaches to plastic pollution including mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, bio-based and biodegradable plastics, extended producer responsibility, deposit-refund schemes, design for circularity, and digital waste management, discussing advantages, disadvantages, and implementation challenges for each. The review recommended supporting informal waste collectors, public-private partnerships, developing industrial composting facilities, banning non-recyclable multi-layer plastics, and applying AI and blockchain for waste tracking to overcome barriers particularly in developing economies.
Plastic pollution has received worldwide attention due to its extensive environmental and health implications. The circular economy has emerged as a potential solution to plastic pollution. This overview comprehensively presents different plastic circular economy approaches and discusses their advantages, disadvantages, and implementation challenges. It highlights that the current plastic circular economy approaches primarily comprise mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, bio-based and biodegradable plastics, extended producer responsibility, deposit-refund schemes and take-back systems, design for circularity, and digital and smart waste management. Mechanical recycling is more well-established than chemical recycling but could downcycle plastic waste. Chemical recycling may facilitate the achievement of the closed-loop circular economy. Bio-based plastics can compete with food production and the biodegradable ones may require controlled composting conditions, though they come from renewable feedstocks. Extended producer responsibility promotes recycling and a shift toward sustainable materials but faces inadequate regulations and enforcement. Deposit-refund schemes and take-back systems are tied to extended producer responsibilities and depend on consumer awareness, infrastructure development, and regulatory enforcement. Design for circularity facilitates plastic reuse, recycling, and repurposing but is constrained by technology and cost. The digital and smart waste management approach improves the traceability and segregation of plastic waste but is limited by cost and digital infrastructure gap. In developing economies, the barriers to plastic circular economy implementation include economic constraints, technological challenges, expertise shortages, regulatory discrepancies, consumer habits, and a lack of infrastructural development. To overcome these barriers, the recommendations include supporting informal waste collection and its integration into the formal waste management system, public-private partnerships for investment, developing industrial composting facilities, enforcing clear labeling and disposal instructions, mandating extended producer responsibility, expanding collection points and accessibility, banning non-recyclable multi-layer plastics and developing artificial intelligence and blockchain for waste tracking.
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https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/article.php?id=4400
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