Disrupting the vicious circle

Although plastics play an important role in almost all areas of life, there are two major problems with the material. Firstly, plastics enter the environment through improper disposal and pollution. Secondly, there is the question of how to handle the material at the end of its life. A circular economy that avoids waste and keeps materials in circulation can help to solve both problems. However, only about 9% of all plastic waste worldwide is currently recycled. The study "Disruptive technologies that deliver a circular economy for plastics", which was published by Australian scientists in "Next Sustainability", therefore looked at disruptive technologies that enable the recovery and recycling of plastics. Disruptive technologies are defined as those that significantly displace an existing technology, transform an industry, or create a new industry. The study identified bioplastics, chemical recycling, synthetic biology, traceable plastics and waste separation as the most important disruptive technologies. These were examined primarily in terms of patents.