The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released a new study comparing the environmental and economic impact of plastic waste recycling and energy recovery technologies. The study looked at mechanical, chemical and solvent-based physical recycling processes. With regard to climate change impact, the study found that all forms of recycling studied performed better than energy recovery. In other environmental impact categories, however, recycling was not always clearly preferable.
The aim of this study was to compare chemical/physical recycling, mechanical recycling and energy recovery processes for waste plastics management and to determine which were the most effective options. The study provides an overview of the advantages and limitations of mechanical, physical and chemical recycling as well as energy recovery....
