Abstract
Plastic waste is an ever-growing global challenge, perhaps second only to climate change in its scope and impact. Unmanaged plastic waste can be found on every continent and every ocean, from mountaintops to the seafloor. In addition to the plastic we can see, over time, plastics break down into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics, and in that form, plastic has worked its way into the food chain—from plankton to humans. Plastics have been touted as recyclable, but in practice, recycling is difficult and has not proven to be an effective solution. Additionally, current laws and regulations are not sufficient in slowing the use—and misuse—of plastic. However, there is reason for optimism. New technologies like chemical recycling and new manufacturing approaches aim to make the process of recycling plastic easier and new and proposed regulations around the world are beginning to take a radically different approaches to addressing and recognizing the potential harm to the environment and human health done by plastics. In this review, we will address the current state of plastic waste management from a technical and policy perspective and look forward to potential changes and innovations on the horizon.
Graphical abstract
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
There is no data affiliated with this review article.
References
Abel BA, Snyder RL, Coates GW (2021) Chemically recyclable thermoplastics from reversible-deactivation polymerization of cyclic acetals. Science 373(6556):783–789. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abh0626
Bennett EM, Alexandridis P (2021) Informing the public and educating students on plastic recycling. Recycling 6:69. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6040069
Boerner, LK (2021) Plastics recycling rocketed forward. Chemical and Engineering News, December 13/20
Borrelle SB, Ringma J, Law KL, Monnahan CC, Lebretona L, McGivern L, Murphy E, Jambeck J, Leonard GH, Hilleary MA, Eriksen M, Possingham HP, De Frond H, Gerber LR, Polidoro B, Tahir A, Bernard M, Mallos N, Barnes M, Rochman CM (2020) Predicted growth in plastic waste exceeds efforts to mitigate plastic pollution. Science 369(6510):1515–1518. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba3656
Browning S, Beymer-Farris B, Seay J (2021) Addressing the challenges associated with plastic waste disposal and management in developing countries. Curr Op Chem Eng. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2021.100682
Carrington D (2021) Microplastics cause damage to human cells, study shows, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/08/microplastics-damage-human-cells-study-plastic
Chen WT, Jin K, Wang N-H (2019) Use of supercritical water for the liquefaction of polypropylene into oil. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 7(4):3749–3758
Cho R (2020) Plastic, paper or cotton: Which shopping bag is best?. State of the Planet - News from the Columbia Climate School, April 30, 2020. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/04/30/plastic-paper-cotton-bags/
European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) (2022) Chemical recycling: greenhouse gas emission reduction potential of an emerging waste management route. Online resource: Accessed 03 Febuary 2022), https://cefic.org/app/uploads/2020/12/CEFIC_Quantis_report_final.pdf
Geyer R, Jambeck J, Law KL (2017) Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Sci Adv. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782
Holicoczki O and Fehrke S (2019) Nanoplastics can change the secondary structure of proteins. Scientific Reports, 9, Article Number 16013, at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-52495-w
Hu M, Palić D (2020) Micro- and nano-plastics activation of oxidative and inflammatory adverse outcome pathways. Redox Biol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2020.101620
Larrain M, Van Passel S, Thomassen G, Van Gorp B, Nhu TT, Huysveld S, Van Geem KM, De Meester S, Billen P (2021) Techno-economic assessment of mechanical recycling of challenging post-consumer plastic packaging waste. Resour Conserv Recycl. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105607
Lee J, Kwon EE, Lam SS, Chen W-H, Rinklebe J, Park Y-K (2021) Chemical recycling of plastic waste via thermocatalytic routes. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128989
Li N, Liu H, Cheng Z, Yan B, Chen G, Wang S (2022) Conversion of plastic waste into fuels: a critical review. J Hazardous Mater. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127460
Liqiang H (2020) Rules for plastic products aim to curb urban pollution. China Daily, January 20
Jambeck JR, Andrady A, Geyer R, Narayan R, Perryman M, Siegler T, Wilcox C, Lavender Law K (2015) Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science 347:768–771
Jaynes CH (2021) Microplastics from Africa and North America Found 9,439 Feet Above Sea Level in French Pyrenees. Ecowatch, Dec. 23. https://www.ecowatch.com/microplastics-french-pyrenees-2656109647.html.
Jin K, Vozka P, Kilaz G, Chen W-T, Wang N-H (2020) Conversion of polyethylene waste into clean fuels and waxes via hydrothermal processing (HTP). Fuel. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2020.117726
Joshi C, Seay J (2020) Total generation & combustion emissions of plastic derived fuels: a trash to tank approach. Environ Progr Sustain Energy. https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.13151
Kol R, Roosen M, Ügdüler S, Van Geem KM, Ragaert K, Achilias DS and De Meester S (2021) Recent advances in pre-treatment of plastic packaging waste [Online First], IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99385. Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/77840
Meereboer KW, Misra M, and Mohanty AK (2020) Review of recent advances in the biodegradability of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics and their composites. Green Chemistry, Issue 17
National Academy of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering (2021) Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste, National Academies Press
Schnelle KB, Dunn RF and Ternes ME (2016) Air pollution control technology handbook 2nd Edition, CRC Press
Shen Y (2020) A review on hydrothermal carbonization of biomass and plastic wastes to energy products. Biomass Bioenerg. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2020.105479
Ternes ME (2020) Plastics: global outlook for multinational environmental lawyers. ABA Natural Resources and Environment, Oct. 5
Ügdüler S, Van Geem KM, Roosen M, Delbeke EIP, De Meester S (2021) Challenges and opportunities of solvent-based additive extraction methods for plastic recycling. Waste Manage 104:148–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.01.003
UN Environment Programme (2018) Legal Limits on Single-Use Plastics and Microplastics - A Global Review of National Laws and Regulations. https://wedocs.unep.org
UN Environment Programme (2021a) Global Sand Observatory Initiative, https://unepgrid.ch/en/activity/sand
UN Environment Programme (2021b) Our planet is drowning in plastic pollution—it's time for change!, https://www.unep.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/
Vogt BD, Stokes KK, Kumar SK (2021) Why is recycling of postconsumer plastics so challenging? ACS Appl Polym Mater 3:4325–4346
Vollmer I, Jenks MJF, Roelands MCP, White RJ, van Harmelen T, de Wild P, van der Laan GP, Meirer F, Keurentjes JTF, Weckhuysen BM (2020) Beyond mechanical recycling: giving new life to plastic waste. Angew Chem 2020(59):15402–15423
Wiesinger H, Wang Z, Hellweg S (2021) Deep dive into plastic monomers, additives, and processing aids. Environ Sci Technol 55(13):9339–9351. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c00976
Funding
No funding was utilized for this review article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have not disclosed any competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Seay, J., Ternes, M.E. A review of current challenges and legal advances in the global management of plastic waste. Clean Techn Environ Policy 24, 731–738 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-022-02289-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-022-02289-y