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Precious Plastic As a Model for Community-Level Upcycling of Waste to Resource

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Precious Plastic As a Model for Community-Level Upcycling of Waste to Resource Precious Plastic as a Model For Community-Level Upcycling of Waste to Resource Ruth-Ellen L Miller Director of Research and Programs Gaia Living Systems Institute Abstract Although the media-enhanced concern about the ubiquitous presence of plastic in the global environment has increased exponentially in recent years and some solutions have been offered, few solutions have been implemented in a way that makes a significant impact. The amount of plastic in the waste stream continues to grow as does the quantity of discarded plastic present in the natural environment – causing measurable harm to many life forms. When China’s ban on imported waste plastic was announced in spring of 2018 in the U.S. most Americans were shocked; they had no idea their carefully separated plastics were being shipped overseas and even fewer understood the level of cleanliness needed for effective re-use of plastic waste. In the state of Oregon, most haulers immediately refused to accept any form of plastic, sending it all to the landfills; some accepted only type 1, or only milk bottles, for recycling. Environmentally conscious citizens continued to save their plastic, hoping for a solution. By September of 2018 a few communities in Oregon were able to make agreements with local plastic re-manufacturers to accept large quantities of clean, used, plastic containers, separated into types 2, 4, and 5, with labels removed, which were then collected and transported to transfer stations by volunteers. In the meantime, a group in Holland offered a very different approach. They focused on what individuals could do to re-use plastic materials within their communities and offered free guidelines online for set-up and operation of such programs. By early 2020, over 400 such community plastic recycling and manufacturing centers were established around the world. In Oregon, a one-man operation in Portland, called Precious Plastic USA, began producing small-scale plastic recycling equipment to fit the Dutch guidelines and markets them, primarily to schools, on the preciousplastic.com website. He has produced and sold several hundred pieces of equipment since 2016. The Precious Plastics Florence program was launched in Florence, Oregon in July of 2018 and over 75 people have participated at some level. Information booths were staffed at five community events. Over $7000 dollars were donated by local residents to acquire equipment and pay for insurance and space. A space was opened in fall of 2019, in which a total of 16 people attended six classes on preparing plastics for recycling. Two open houses introduced 32 people to the equipment and its operation. Three people have been certified to use the equipment, with the emphasis on shredding and storing. As of May, 2020, there have been no sales of product, but during the pandemic lockdown a few individuals have been experimenting with techniques. Keywords: Recycling plastic, community-based plastic recycling, reduction of plastic waste, plastic waste management, plastic as a resource Introduction – Plastic Waste Management Overview The various forms of plastic provide an effective option for many kinds of packaging, construction, clothing, and storage. Around the world, therefore, production of plastic has grown exponentially since its introduction to the marketplace in the 1920s, measured since 1950. Figure 1. from The World in Data Source: www.ourworldindata.org, retrieved May 18, 2020 Only 31% of that production has remained in use1, so plastic waste has increased at almost the same rate over the same period. Figure 2. Total Production and Disposal of Plastic (1950-2015) Source: www.ourworldindata.org, retrieved May 18, 2020 This gap between disposal and production has meant that most countries are currently dealing with millions of plastic pieces that have often been simply tossed aside, becoming a ubiquitous unsightly mess and a global issue. Figure 3. Plastic Waste On A Beach – A Not Uncommon Site, Globally. Part of the reason for the ubiquitous presence of plastic waste has to do with longtime customs and traditions in rural areas. In India, for example, people have for over a thousand years purchased a hot tea drink called chai from street vendors, served in a small, low-fired clay cup, and upon completing the drink the customer has thrown the cup on a pile, where it dissolved in the next rains and then was reclaimed and re-fired into new cups the following year. Similarly, when they have purchased a meal or a snack, it was provided on, or wrapped in, a leaf. The custom is to leave a little in the leaf and place it on the street for the wandering cows to consume. When western-style customs and regulations led to the replacement of these packaging methods with waxed paper and plastic, the means to dispose of them was not provided, so people continued their custom of throwing or setting their dishes on the street – with the result that plastic litter is everywhere and the cows are now ingesting unhealthy quantities of polymers.2 Where disposal systems are in place, according to the WorldWatch Institute, “between 22 and 43 percent of plastic worldwide is disposed of in landfills, where its resources are wasted, it takes up valuable space, and it blights communities.”3 With these kinds of issues occurring worldwide, research has proliferated on the use of plastics and how to deal with them in countries ranging from Qatar4, Ghana5, and Malaysia6 to Sweden7, Denmark8, and the U.S.9 Across the research, plastic re-use has been found to be the least harmful alternative,10 but the methodology for collection and implementation has been unclear.11 The introduction of plastics recycling programs around the world in 1997 was modeled on previously successful paper and metals recycling programs.12 Plastics, however, are far more complex, with at least 7 different chemical compositions and a vast array of physical forms. Although the data on plastic in the waste stream is usually recorded by its physical form (i.e., containers, film, industrial), the chemical composition is the important distinction in the recycling process, as each composition behaves differently. Currently, 7 types of plastics are recognized, as indicated by the familiar recycling symbol, usually located on the bottom of the container. Figure 4. Plastic Recycling Symbols These seven types are: 1 – Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE or Polyester) 2 – High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) 3 – Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) 4 – Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) 5 – Polypropylene (PP) 6 – Polystyrene (PS) 7 – Other (usually some mixture) They have different degrees of hardness, brittleness, different melting temperatures, and different cooling processes. For purposes of recycling, therefore, it’s imperative that these types be separated. Figure 5. Comparison Of Melted Mixed-Plastic Waste With Properly Separated, Uniform Waste. Source: Denton Plastics, Portland, Oregon According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. generated 267.8 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in 2017 and containers and packaging made up the largest portion, at over 14 million tons.13 Table 1. Plastic in U.S. Municipal Waste (by 000 tons) Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency This category includes bags, sacks and wraps; other packaging; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and jars; high-density polyethylene (HDPE) natural bottles; and other containers.14 Because of the differences in handling requirements, sorting these types and compositions became a problem almost immediately. In High-Income Countries (HIC) the cost of labor disincentivized these recycling programs, so cities in those countries began sending the waste to Low-Income Countries (LIC) in Asia, with the majority going to China15. According to Brooks et all in an article in the journal Science Advances: In 2016 alone, about half of all plastic waste intended for recycling (14.1 million MT) was exported by 123 countries, with China taking most of it (7.35 million MT) from 43 different countries . Since it began reporting in 1992, China has imported 106 million MT of plastic waste, making up 45.1% of all cumulative imports. Collectively, China and Hong Kong have imported 72.4% of all plastic waste. However, Hong Kong acts as an entry port into China, with most of the plastic waste imported to Hong Kong (63%) going directly to China as an export in 2016.16 The state of Oregon has been adopting various recycling measures since passing the first Bottle Bill in the U.S.A, in 1971, During those years the population of the state has more than tripled, from 1.1 million to 4.2 million in 2019, and the amount of plastic waste has grown even faster as plastic packaging has become the norm for most residential and commercial consumption. Table 2 shows the amount of plastic in the MSW in 2012. Table 2. Plastic in the Municipal Solid Waste Stream, Oregon, U.S.A., 2012 Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality report “Oregon Plastics Recovery Assessment, 2015” As Oregon’s plastics manufacturing industry is approximately 40 % the national average on a per-capita basis, there are only four companies in the state of Oregon working with reclaimed plastic. Agri-plas sorts and processes agricultural containers, films, and twines Denton Plastics in Portland focuses on polypropylene and polyethylene - processes and densifies film, Northwest polymers in Mollala buys commercial entities’ plastic wastes - produces a variety of pellets and nerdles for commercial use. ORPET grinds up bottles returned under the Oregon Bottle Bill, and some residential bottles. As a result, only certain kinds of waste can be recycled and that often must be sold to manufacturers located out of state and out of country. Half a dozen similar companies are located in neighboring states, but historically, the vast majority of Oregon’s reclaimed plastic has been exported through the ports of Portland in Oregon and Seattle or Tacoma in Washington to other countries.
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