Global plastic recycling rate of less than 10% “stumbling”: Research

The amount of plastic recycled around the world is stagnating at less than 10%, with most new plastics made from fossil fuels being made on Thursday.

Researchers at Tingia University in China said that even if plastic production exploded, the speed of recycling was barely inflated, presenting “a looming global environmental challenge.”

Their findings published in Journal Communications Earth & Environment come as the nation prepares to fight over a treaty once again to deal with plastic pollution after the final round of negotiations did not mediate an agreement.

Plastic has been found in snow above the tallest mountains at far-reaching depths, with small particles being detected in blood and breast milk.

However, despite growing international concerns, “there is no noticeable lack of a comprehensive analysis of plastics along the supply chain,” Quanyin Tan and colleagues wrote.

To address this, they created the first detailed global analysis of the plastics sector for 2022, from manufacturing to disposal, based on national statistics, industry reports and international databases.

They discovered that 9.5% of the 400 million tonnes of new plastic in 2022 is produced from recycled materials.

“The global recycling rates remained stagnant… reflecting little improvement from the past,” the author writes.

The rest is produced from fossil fuels, mainly oil and gas, indicating “small progress” in addressing environmental concerns related to the production of plastics.

“The dependence on raw materials for fossil fuels for the production of plastics will further compromise global efforts to mitigate climate change,” the author writes.

Recycling failures

While food and label contamination made some plastics more difficult to recycle, the variety and complexity of additives in the materials pose another obstacle.

However, another obstacle is purely economical. It is often cheaper to make new or “virgin” plastic than to recycle it.

“This economic barrier discourages investment in recycling infrastructure and technology and perpetuates a cycle of low recycling rates,” the author writes.

They identified the US, the largest consumer of plastic per capita, as having one of the lowest recycling rates with just 5% reuse.

They also pointed out that “significant changes” in waste disposal worldwide, with landfills declining and about a third of plastic waste being incinerated.

Landfills are the main destinations for most plastic waste, accounting for 40% of the world’s total.

However, combustion has “emerged as the most practical way to manage plastic waste,” which has one of the highest incineration rates in the European Union, China and Japan.

However, the authors say that this study does not explain the “important role” of informal waste treatment schemes, which may affect overall recycling rates.

Another natural study by researchers at the University of Leeds in September found that burning plastic in dumps and open fires was just as big a problem for the planet as messy.

The study said that in poor countries where plastics were informally burned and mostly nonexistent, they spread plastic across the environment, worsening air quality and exposing workers to toxic chemicals.

The authors of a more recent study said they hoped their research would “support treaty negotiations” for the world’s first plastic treaty to resume in Geneva after the final round collapsed.

©2025 AFP