International Journal of Waste Resources

Assessment of the technological dimension of recycling technologies of single-use plastics for circular economy in the Philippines

15^th World Congress and Expo on Recycling

October 16-17, 2023 | Vancouver, Canada

Ricardo A. Sirot, Jr., Melito A. Baccay and Leslie Joy L Diaz

University of the Philippines, Philippines Technological University of the Philippines, Philippines

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Int J Waste Resour

Abstract:

Sustainable consumption and production as well as circular economy initiatives especially for post-consumer plastics have increased along with the growing demand for the use of single-use plastics brought by the increasing urbanization and by the rapid population growth. The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the plastic usage demand due to health and sanitary purposes. Through the years several research on plastic waste diversion and upcycling technologies have accelerated the implementation of a more sustainable waste management scheme towards the maximization of resource efficiency of plastics. Such studies were then used by local plastic upcyclers in the production of upcycled plastic products such as plastic lumbers used in making school armchair, garbage bins, crates, wall cladding and other house furniture. Studies have also been conducted on alternative mechanical recycling technologies specifically the incorporation of plastic wastes in construction applications such as in fabricating eco-bricks, floor tiles and in asphalt and concrete mixes. These technologies significantly reduce the amount of plastic wastes ending up on sanitary landfills by extending the useful life of plastics. The locally available upcycling and alternative mechanical recycling technologies have paved the way for delaying the end-of-life stage of plastics, which is a significant part in achieving product circularity. Numerous assessment tools have been developed to measure the product circularity and most of these tools focus solely on the economic and environmental aspects of circular economy. There has yet a tool that determines the potential circularity of a product considering the technological dimension of circular economy which includes the identification of recycled plastic product fabrication considerations for the circular strategies extending from the raw material extraction, upcycling and recycling processes, packaging and logistics, up to the end-oflife options of the product. The identification of fabrication considerations during the production of recycled plastic products will determine the preferred circular strategies of an upcycler towards its products. This will also provide upcyclers the awareness in terms of the status of their adoption and implementation of the fabrication considerations. More so, this will determine the fabrication aspects that need to be given more focus to ensure product sustainability. There is a need to assess the potential circularity of common recycled plastic products focusing on the technological dimension of circular economy because of the lack of a well-established product circularity tool assessing different circular strategies such as raw material extraction, upcycling and recycling, packaging and logistics and end-of-life applications for a recycled plastic product. The research aims to provide an assessment on the technological dimension of upcycling technologies and alternative mechanical recycling technologies for single-use plastics towards the adoption of circular economy in the Philippines. Specifically, the research aims to determine the most preferred circular strategies of local plastic upcyclers for their products by identifying their fabrication considerations through interviews and questionnaires. More so, the research aims to quantitatively assess the circularity of the recycled plastic products by calculating the relative potential product circularity score basing on the Concept Circularity Evaluation Tool. Lastly, it also aims to determine of the assessments of each stakeholder by comparing the preferred circular strategies of the local upcyclers with that of the members of the academia. The assessment on the technological dimension of upcycling technologies and alternative mechanical recycling technologies for single-use plastics is the primary step towards a more sustainable production and consumption aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal 12 set by the United Nations. A quantitative assessment of the potential circularity of recycled plastic products determines how sustainable the fabrication of locally manufactured recycled plastic products is which accelerates the transition from the take-make-dispose linear economy into the more sustainable circular economy. In this study, locally available recycled plastic product fabrication techniques requiring less energy and resource pre-production processes are more circular in terms of the technological dimension. Plastic extrusion and compression molding of plastic chairs and plastic lumbers are more circular compared to plastic furniture which is made via injection molding method. More so, the mechanical recycling of plastics to be used in making bricks is less circular because of the higher possibility of micro plastic generation and leakage. Further, determining the fabrication considerations of the local plastic upcyclers in the producing upcycled plastic products identifies the circular strategies that need to be implemented. The preferability of circular strategies from the members of the academe gives an objective perspective as to which strategies should be prioritized given the current local solid waste management landscape particularly for single-use plastics. Together with different stakeholders as well as with the economic and social aspects evaluation of circular economy, the technological assessment can provide justification on the adoption of upcycling and alternative mechanical recycling technologies. This can also provide support in the implementation of local and national policies set by the government towards plastic use regulation such as the Extended Producer’s Responsibility Act which ultimately aims to significantly reduce the amount of plastic wastes ending up on sanitary landfills by extending the useful life of plastics. On the economic perspective, the availability of raw materials in the form of well-segregated post-consumer plastic wastes will lead to more business opportunities to design and to fabricate more upcycled products.