The Challenge of Plastic Pollution
As many know, the UN is currently nearing the end of its two-year process to create a global Plastic Treaty for the reduction of plastic pollution. The negative impacts to our environment, waters and health are the results of a systemic failure in how we design, use and dispose of materials. The vast array of lightweight, durable plastics makes it incredibly hard to effectively recover and sort these resources into usable quantities of similar polymer types. This reduces the embedded value and incentive for collection.
The lack of localized recycling facilities in smaller cities, municipalities and rural areas exacerbates the low recycling rates. Without even basic recycling systems and equipment in place, the opportunity to create value from our waste is lost. Globally, it is estimated that only 9 percent of all plastics produced are actually recycled, despite the ubiquity of the recycling symbol on products.