Page 25 - Plastics News April 2021

FeAtures

China’s move to restrict plastic waste imports in 2018, new trade routes in the plastic waste market that are not
the re-routing of shipments has overwhelmed alternative entirely monitored.
countries, opening the doors for opportunistic crime,
as noted by the WWF. Europe and North America are Recommendations
believed to divert most of their plastic waste exports to Following Interpol’s report about increased illegal
Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Vietnam shipments and criminal activities across global plastic
and Thailand. Whereas Australia and New Zealand have waste trade routes, the WWF has issued a call for
increased their waste exports to other Asian countries global cooperation to address the issue. Some of
such as Malaysia, while Japan has increased its waste the recommendations suggested by the WWF in
exports to Thailand. Developing countries, especially an international response by governments include;
those with limited waste management and enforcement accelerating negotiations for a global legally binding
capacities are increasingly targeted. agreement with clear national plans and regulations,
reinforcing existing mechanisms such as phasing out single
As regulations on waste imports are continuously changing use plastics and addressing gaps in waste management
and are not standardised across destination countries; in economies, innovating and scaling up environmentally
exporters and enforcers face challenges in ensuring that sound alternatives to plastic, and lastly – investing in
plastic waste exports comply with import regulations, research and capacity building for enhanced monitoring
noted Interpol. As a result, paired with the lack of and enforcement of plastic waste.
traceability of plastic waste – individuals or crime groups
could take advantage of loopholes, information gaps, and (courtesy ASEAN Post)

It’s Time To Act Fast On Plastics Recycling

Joseph Chang

Activists and industry have to come together to solve the issue of Plastics waste and public policy has to play
a pivotal role

he chemical industry must accelerate investment faster before society looks to the producers as the problem
Tin plastics recycling to achieve scale as activist and and who have to fix it,” said Ramesh Ramachandran in
government pressures mount says Mr Ramachandran the an interview with ICIS.“If the industry wants to double in
former CEO of Equate and MEGlobal and is now principal capacity in 5-10 years without a clear solution in 2-3 years
at the consultancy MEGVIN Advisors. “Both the activists for plastic waste, this will not end well for industry. Policy,
and the industry are in full agreement on the clear and fines and taxes will beat them to the punch,” he added.
present danger posed by plastic waste. However, I think
the pace of change is too slow - industry has to move a lot Thermodynamics and Economics
Plastics recycling can be broken down to two challenges -
a thermodynamics challenge and an economic challenge.
Thermodynamics - the science behind the process - is
sound. There are plenty of prototypes, catalysts and small-
scale but fully developed chemical recycling processes
that can convert plastics to pyrolysis oil, and this can
then be used to make pellets.“But we are nowhere close
to an economic solution and an infrastructure to collect
the plastic waste, sort it and bring it into the process.
That part is simply not established and it’s not very viable
economically today because nobody wants to pay for it,”
said Ramachandran. “Governments want producers to pay
for it, producers want consumers to pay for it, consumers

25 April 2021 Plastics News