Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling
Ongoing policy negotiations, such as the negotiations for a future global plastics treaty, include calls for increased recycling of plastics. However, before recycling of plastics can be considered a safe practice, the flaws in today’s systems must be addressed. Plastics contain a vast range of chem...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Cambridge Prisms: Plastics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2755094X2500001X/type/journal_article |
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| author | Bethanie Carney Almroth Eric Carmona Nnaemeka Chukwuone Tridibesh Dey Daniel Slunge Thomas Backhaus Therese Karlsson |
| author_facet | Bethanie Carney Almroth Eric Carmona Nnaemeka Chukwuone Tridibesh Dey Daniel Slunge Thomas Backhaus Therese Karlsson |
| author_sort | Bethanie Carney Almroth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ongoing policy negotiations, such as the negotiations for a future global plastics treaty, include calls for increased recycling of plastics. However, before recycling of plastics can be considered a safe practice, the flaws in today’s systems must be addressed. Plastics contain a vast range of chemicals, including monomers, polymers, processing agents, fillers, antioxidants, plasticizers, pigments, microbiocides and stabilizers. The amounts and types of chemicals in plastics products vary, and there are little requirements for transparency and reporting. Additionally, they are inherently contaminated with reaction by-products and other nonintentionally added substances (NIASs). As the chemical composition of plastics wastes is largely unknown, and many plastics chemicals are hazardous, they therefore hinder safe recycling since recyclers are not able to exclude materials that contain hazardous chemicals. To address this problem, we suggest the following policy strategies: 1) improved reporting, transparency and traceability of chemicals in plastics throughout their full life cycle; 2) chemical simplification and group-based approaches to regulating hazardous chemicals; 3) chemical monitoring, testing and quality control; 4) economic incentives that follow the waste hierarchy; and 5) support for a just transition to protect people, including waste pickers, impacted throughout the plastics life cycle. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-06db5a5c83334de99644228eda7257cf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2755-094X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cambridge Prisms: Plastics |
| spelling | doaj-art-06db5a5c83334de99644228eda7257cf2025-02-10T09:33:23ZengCambridge University PressCambridge Prisms: Plastics2755-094X2025-01-01310.1017/plc.2025.1Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recyclingBethanie Carney Almroth0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5037-4612Eric Carmona1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1834-8342Nnaemeka Chukwuone2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-4152Tridibesh Dey3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5624-9436Daniel Slunge4Thomas Backhaus5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9643-1662Therese Karlsson6https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3749-6217Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Centre for Future chemical Risk Assessment and Management (FRAM), University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Exposure Science, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Agricultural Economics and Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre (REPRC), University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaKnowledge, Technology, and Innovation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The NetherlandsCentre for Future chemical Risk Assessment and Management (FRAM), University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Centre for Future chemical Risk Assessment and Management (FRAM), University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, GermanyInternational Pollutants Elimination Network, Gothenburg, SwedenOngoing policy negotiations, such as the negotiations for a future global plastics treaty, include calls for increased recycling of plastics. However, before recycling of plastics can be considered a safe practice, the flaws in today’s systems must be addressed. Plastics contain a vast range of chemicals, including monomers, polymers, processing agents, fillers, antioxidants, plasticizers, pigments, microbiocides and stabilizers. The amounts and types of chemicals in plastics products vary, and there are little requirements for transparency and reporting. Additionally, they are inherently contaminated with reaction by-products and other nonintentionally added substances (NIASs). As the chemical composition of plastics wastes is largely unknown, and many plastics chemicals are hazardous, they therefore hinder safe recycling since recyclers are not able to exclude materials that contain hazardous chemicals. To address this problem, we suggest the following policy strategies: 1) improved reporting, transparency and traceability of chemicals in plastics throughout their full life cycle; 2) chemical simplification and group-based approaches to regulating hazardous chemicals; 3) chemical monitoring, testing and quality control; 4) economic incentives that follow the waste hierarchy; and 5) support for a just transition to protect people, including waste pickers, impacted throughout the plastics life cycle.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2755094X2500001X/type/journal_articleplastics pollutionplastics additivesnonintentionally added substancesplastics circularitycircular economy |
| spellingShingle | Bethanie Carney Almroth Eric Carmona Nnaemeka Chukwuone Tridibesh Dey Daniel Slunge Thomas Backhaus Therese Karlsson Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling Cambridge Prisms: Plastics plastics pollution plastics additives nonintentionally added substances plastics circularity circular economy |
| title | Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling |
| title_full | Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling |
| title_fullStr | Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling |
| title_short | Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling |
| title_sort | addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling |
| topic | plastics pollution plastics additives nonintentionally added substances plastics circularity circular economy |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2755094X2500001X/type/journal_article |
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