Page 91 - Plastics News August 2024
P. 91
IN THE NEWS
Living in a plastic world: tackling the plastic pol-
lution problem
developing a greener method that breaks down
plastics, researchers at NTU Singapore are solv-
ing some of the greatest challenges that stand in
the way of recycling plastics. They are also mak-
ing strides in reducing plastic pollution.
Repurposing e-waste plastics to grow
“mini tumours” for laboratory testing
Plastics comprise a large portion of electronic
waste (e-waste), and rapid technological ad-
lastic pollution has emerged as one of our
most pressing environmental issues with vances, and high consumer demand drives its
Pthe increasing use of disposable plastics. growing use in electronics. According to a UN
report, the generation of e-waste is rising five
As they are non-biodegradable, plastics accu- times faster than the official recycling rate fig-
mulate in the environment, altering habitats and ures show. In 2022, e-waste generated 17 million
natural processes. Millions of wildlife are also tonnes of plastic globally.
trapped by plastic waste every year.
Single-use plastics are also widely used in re-
When plastics break down, they release toxic search and healthcare applications such as cell
compounds that contaminate the environment. culture.
They also disintegrate into small pieces of plas-
tic called microplastics. Microplastics are now
found all over the globe and are linked to severe
health effects such as metabolic disorders and
organ damage.
Recycling plastics reduces the amount of plas-
tic waste that would otherwise be discarded
and conserves natural resources. However, only
about 10 per cent of plastic is currently recy-
cled around the world. The figure is low in part
because recycling some types of plastic, such
as e-waste and marine plastic litter, is difficult. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is an e-
Chemical reactions that break down plastics into plastic commonly used in the housings of devic-
simpler components to be reused are also en- es such as keyboards and laptops. Repurposing
ergy intensive. plastics such as ABS for high value biomedical
applications could be an attractive waste-to-re-
From using e-waste plastics to culture cells to source strategy for effectively reducing plastic
August 2024 PLASTICS NEWS 93
