Page 69 from: West Coast report + Plastics Special

PLASTICS SPECIAL

69recyclinginternational.com | July/August | 2019

WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION OF
PLASTICS EXCEEDS 400 MILLION
TONNES PER YEAR WHILE
PLASTIC WASTE IS RAPIDLY
INCREASING. THOUGHTS?
‘The material we fell in love with…
we’ve been unable to control. We’re
stuck in a loop of buying things and
throwing them away. There’s no sense
of ownership or appreciation. This
attitude has basically spoiled our rela-
tionship with plastics. Then again, we
have a very complicated relationship
with plastics. On one hand, we rely on
it and, on the other, we are being told
every single day how bad it is and we
should feel guilty and ashamed for
buying it. The problem with the anti-
plastics lobby is it puts people in an
impossible situation. As a result, they
will start ignoring the message and
stop engaging. Compare this to those
who are addicted to their phone. Tell
them to take a break and they’ll be
really reluctant to do that. Pointing
out a negative doesn’t lead to positive
behaviour.’

HOW DO WE SOLVE THE WASTE
PROBLEM?
‘Plastic isn’t the root of our problem.
We may be talking about waste a lot
nowadays but it’s part of a much larg-
er issue. Consumption – and an unsus-
tainable market pushed purely by eco-
nomics. Producers and politicians all
play along. Look at it this way: plastic
waste happens to be a very physical
sign that our current system is flawed.
But it is only one of the symptoms. In
a way, plastic is the “fall guy” of an
unsustainable industry.’

IF THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN, HOW
DO WE FIX IT?
‘Simply reducing plastics isn’t the
answer. It’s not about producing less
plastic, it’s about producing better
materials. Ideally, everything that is
manufactured should be recyclable
and, better yet, contain a high quanti-
ty of recycled content. Around 75% of
the UK’s plastic bottles are recycled,
according to the British Plastics
Federation. Personally, I would be

much happier knowing they each con-
tain 75% recycled PET. Not least
because recycling rates are imperfect
and landfilling and incineration are
frequently factored in. Ultimately, we
need more transparency so we know
which polymers and product types are
underperforming.’

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO?
‘It would be fantastic if the packaging
of every product contained a label with
recycling stats. Phasing out non-stan-
dard polymers and composites would
be a great addition. This would create
a homogeneous waste stream that is
easy to sort and recycle. For example, I
would love to see all shampoo bottles
have the same colour, and made from
the same type of plastic. It’s probably a
marketeer’s nightmare but, in a perfect
world, all PET bottles would be trans-
parent. So you see that, by making
such little tweaks to the system, we can
solve the plastic waste problem. It’s
not science fiction.’

PRODUCERS ARE WELCOMING
THE IDEA OF RECYCLED
CONTENT. IS THAT MAKING ANY
DIFFERENCE?
‘Sure, big brands may talk the talk.
The fact is that most of them are still
pumping out the same stuff by and
large. The ceos of Fortune 500 com-
panies know this. I would like to get a
sense of urgency from them – and the
world’s political leaders. Right now, I
imagine them sitting in a boardroom
together, looking at each other think-
ing; “I won’t move until you do”.
They’re panicking, worrying about

stakeholders and losing market
edge. It’s like they’re playing a
multi-million game of chicken. It dis-
appoints me that all these rich entre-
preneurs invest in glorious space proj-
ects and new restaurants. The most

urgent change has to happen here on
Earth.’

WHAT CAN GOVERNMENTS DO
TO DRIVE REAL CHANGE?
‘Real leaders have gumption. They will
enforce bans. For instance, there must
come an end to single-use plastics
and over-packaging. Establishing
financial backing for recycling via
extended producer responsibility
schemes is also imperative. The UK
government is currently working on a
proposal to increase the fees produc-
ers have to pay – by a lot! Raising
more funds will definitely make recy-
cling infrastructure more effective.
The danger, of course, is that the
money will be syphoned off to other
government activities.’

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF RECY-
CLING OCEAN PLASTICS?
‘I don’t think it’s wise to recycle ocean
plastics into new products. Typically,
marine litter is very old and way too
degraded due to exposure to the sun
and salty water to yield decent quality
output. Why don’t entrepreneurs use
their money to invest in better recy-
cling systems at remote locations
instead? Alternatively, we could col-
lect and stockpile the material until
the right technology comes along to
process it. Pyrolysis is probably the
best option.’

HOW WILL PLASTICS CHANGE IN
THE NEXT TEN YEARS OR SO?
‘In terms of packaging, we’ll see a
reduction in the complexity of materi-
als. Generally, I think we’ll move away

from petrochemical-based plastics,
and more towards bio-based plastics.
I also hope there will be several “cir-
cular” petrochemical companies.
Ones that use their power to reshape
the entire plastics industry.’

‘ P l a s t i c i s t h e f a l l g u y o f a n u n s u s t a i n a b l e

i n d u s t r y ’

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