Reducing plastic waste
Plastic waste is a serious global issue and there are different ways governments, plastic converters, brands, waste collectors, consumers and Shell can help prevent harmful waste from entering the environment.
Before diving into the specifics of plastic waste, it’s important to understand the difference between linear and circular economies, as depicted below.
A linear economy follows the “take-make-dispose” model—this is where resources are quickly used and ultimately end up in landfills, being used as fuel or leaking into the natural environment. None of these outcomes are sustainable in the long run as they all result in the depletion of natural resources and the pollution of the natural environment (land, sea, and air).
There is however a better way, which is often described as a circular economy. The circular economy is based on three principles driven by design: Eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value) and regenerate nature, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
In this economy, products are designed for long-term use and are repurposed or recycled when they reach the end of their lifespan. Overall, this is a more sustainable approach which helps to conserve resources and minimize waste.
Read on for more details on waste reduction and prevention.
Associated UN Sustainable Development Goals
Takeaways:
- One key step in reducing plastic waste is designing for circularity, which enables both the reuse and recycling of plastic.
- While mechanical and advanced recycling provide valuable benefits—advanced recycling is a great method for plastic waste reduction as it returns the polymer to its original, full-performance properties.
- Shell Polymers is helping reduce plastic leakage through Operation Clean Sweep and other initiatives.
Shell Polymers’ waste reduction and
prevention efforts
OECD estimates that of the 353 million tonnes of plastic waste generated globally, only 9% is recycled, and the remainder goes to landfill or incineration—or is unmanaged after use.1 That’s why we’re deeply committed to enhancing waste management capacity and capability by improving collection, sorting, processing, and recycling systems throughout the world.
This means we partner with other firms to invest in infrastructure, accelerate technology, educate people to tackle plastic waste, and clean up waste at its source.
Shell Polymers is also a proud Blue member of Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), an alliance that aims to achieve zero plastic resin loss—effectively working to prevent plastic pellets, flakes, and power from polluting waterways.
One example of how Shell is helping at the local Monaca level is through our water treatment facility. This area of the plant repurposes the Ohio River water on-site to generate steam and provide cooling. The steam is primarily used to drive turbines that either generate electricity or power compressors, while the cooling capabilities help remove heat from our systems and control the temperature of equipment and processes.
In order to be used in these capacities throughout the plant, the river water must go through multiple treatment processes, including clarification and filtration. It also goes through further demineralization prior to being used as boiler feed water to generate steam. All of these efforts help ensure that the water is clean.
Extending the life of plastics
Reusing plastic material
One relatively easy way to cut back on plastic waste is to reuse plastic material—this can be as simple as reusing a product such as a plastic bag or repurposing a product without significant modification such as using a plastic container as a planter pot.
As a plastic converter, you might have a vested interest in plastic reuse as many countries have enacted plastic-related legislation and bans.
For instance, England has recently banned a range of single-use plastics. The ban, which comes into effect October 2023, includes single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and types of polystyrene cups and food containers.
These plans aid in the government’s efforts to eradicate avoidable plastic waste and will include a tax of £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in or imported into the UK that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic.2
A little closer to home, Canada is adopting “Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (SUPPR)” as part of the government’s plan to address pollution, meet its target of zero plastic waste by 2030 and help reduce GHG emissions.
The regulations prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery and foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws. (Read more about the regulations.)
Plastic legislation is extending to the US too. One of the most comprehensive is California’s State Bill 54, which was signed into law on June 30, 2022. This law requires that by 2032: 100% of packaging in the state be recyclable or compostable, 25% of plastic packaging be eliminated and 65% of all single-use plastic packaging be recycled. Note that California ranks among the world's ten largest economies (between the UK and Canada).
At Shell Polymers, we support making all plastic reusable, recyclable or having their embodied energy recovered. In this way, single-use plastics wouldn’t be considered waste as they can support the circular economy and can have lower GHG emissions when compared to alternatives.
Upcycling
This method is often left out of the “reduce-reuse-recycle” methodology probably for alliteration reasons…if we had to guess. Upcycling is essentially another way to reuse material that involves making a completely different (and often unexpected) type of product from plastic waste that is more valuable than the original product. In short? Upcycling is one of the many advantages of advanced recycling.
There are many examples of upcycling, but one we’re particularly proud of is the Bridgestone partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Penske and Shell. As the series’ exclusive tire supplier, Bridgestone has incorporated ISCC PLUS certified recycled butadiene, using the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) mass balance approach. Butadiene is a monomer produced from hard-to-recycle used plastic shopping bags, film, stretch wrap and other flexible polymer packaging, developed in partnership with Shell, in all Firestone Firehawk race tires used at the Indianapolis 500.
With any upcycling example, please note that upcycled products should be recyclable to significantly contribute to a more sustainable economy.
End-of-life solutions for plastic
Beyond our own efforts, mitigating global plastic waste and improving circularity will need businesses, governments, NGOs, and consumers collaborating on the below initiatives.
Mechanical recycling
One of the most common recycling methods is mechanical recycling, which includes collecting, cleaning, and processing plastic waste to create new products. It’s referred to as “mechanical” because it involves physically changing the plastic into another form without altering its chemical composition.
While mechanical recycling is a step to reducing plastic waste, it has some limitations:
1
Creating reliable and high-quality products from mechanically recycled plastic is challenging due to the fact that shredding, melting, and re-forming the plastic over multiple life-cycles (3-5 times) introduces increasing amounts of contamination and structural weakness into the base polymer.
2
Not all plastics can be recycled using this technology and are currently incinerated or go to landfill. The plastic material that is recycled cannot be recycled infinitely as it eventually degrades over time. These hard-to-recycle plastics include snack bags, plastic film, garden furniture and more.3
3
Sorting the plastic waste stream can be difficult because our nation’s recycling infrastructure was not designed to handle hard-to-recycle plastics including bags, film, flexible packaging, and objects smaller than a water bottle.
Mechanical recycling will not solve the plastic circular economy challenge on its own but is a key technology in building a more sustainable future when combined with other processes.
Advanced recycling
Next up is a complementary form of recycling to mechanical recycling. Advanced recycling (also known as chemical recycling) utilizes chemical reactions to break plastic waste down into basic components that can then be used to create new products. Advanced recycling can help improve recycling rates and introduce products with more recycled content to the market.
Advanced recycling can be an energy-intensive process; therefore, it can have a higher product carbon footprint than mechanically recycled plastic. However, various life cycle assessments (LCAs)4 show that this emerging technology already has a similar carbon footprint to fossil-based naphtha. We will continue to see efficiency improvements as it scales to industrial production levels, while also producing a variety of high-performance virgin quality chemicals products and plastics.
Overall, this complementary form of recycling can be a favorable technology because:
1
This method in its various forms can process a wider range of plastics, including those that are difficult to mechanically recycle.
2
It can produce higher-quality recycled materials than its mechanical counterpart and these materials can be reused in markets that are difficult to serve such as food packaging.
3
Advanced recycling allows plastics to be recyclable an infinite number of times.
Shell is working on several technologies to divert hard-to-recycle plastic waste and is focusing on advanced recycling through pyrolysis: a special heating process that turns hard-to-recycle plastics into a liquid. This liquid, referred to as pyrolysis oil, replaces virgin hydrocarbons in the production of chemicals—which are the building blocks of a wide range of products we use every day, including new plastic products. Learn more details about chemical recycling.
There are also many other organizations innovating in this space such as University of Texas Austin researchers who are successfully recycling polyester with bacteria. Learn more about other advanced recycling trailblazers inspiring us with their efforts.
Title:
Breaking Down Pyrolysis | Shell Polymers
Duration:
1:08 minutes
Description:
Consumers are demanding more recycled material in plastic products. By thoroughly understanding different advanced recycling methods like pyrolysis, plastic converters like you can meet that demand.
Transcript:
[Uplifting music plays throughout video]
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Real talk: Consumers want more recycled material in the plastic products they buy.
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3D visual of a plastic bottle
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Advanced recycling is helping to manage plastic waste.
Let’s break down one type of advanced recycling: Pyrolysis.
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How it works:
Plastic waste is gathered and sorted.
Hard-to-recycle plastics can even be gathered for advanced recycling.
[Visual]
Grocery bag and plastic food container placed into recycling bin
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Waste is heated through an oxygen-free process called pyrolysis, converting it into pyrolysis oil.
The resulting liquid is processed and manufactured into chemicals.
[Visual]
3D pyrolysis oil flowing freely
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A third-party (such as ISCC) certifies the value chain, ensuring the use of circular resources.
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ISCC logo
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Circular-certified chemicals are then used to make new plastic products.
[Visual]
Flowing pyrolysis oil transitions to 3D visual of plastic detergent bottles
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In short?
Pyrolysis can help plastic producers meet consumer demand for more recycled material in plastic products while also helping to reduce plastic waste.
[Visual]
3D plastic pellet floating around.
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That’s what we like to call a win/win.
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Shell Polymers logo
How Shell Polymers can work with you
Designing for Circularity
If plastic converters such as yourself design plastic products with circularity in mind, this can help increase recycling rates, divert plastic waste from landfills and transform waste into plastic products through either mechanical or advanced recycling.
In fact, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has a goal of creating a circular economy in which 100% of the plastic packaging in the United States is reused, recycled, or recovered by 2040.5 So, it’s more important than ever before to keep circularity top of mind when designing products.
Our team of talented industry experts can help you leverage certain types of PE and applications that are easier to recycle after consumer use. They’ll even work with you to design for circularity. For instance, our team is happy to have conversations with you on how to achieve mono-material type applications that are easier to recycle.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has a goal of creating a circular economy in which 100% of the plastic packaging in the United States is reused, recycled, or recovered by 2040.5
Rethinking packaging materials
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other uncommon plastic packaging materials are difficult to mechanically recycle even in small amounts and have little after-use value. They make up 85% of hard-to-recycle materials6, so it is crucial to replace them with recyclable alternatives like HDPE.
Mixed material designs also make items harder to recycle. We see this in multi-layer plastic packaging—which combines PVC, PE, and other plastics into a single sheet of packaging materials. The mixed material designs also include hybrid packaging that combines paper and plastic (e.g., bags in boxes, juice/milk boxes, coffee cups, boxes with see-through windows and more). While these hybrid designs can effectively reduce the amount of plastic packaging, it makes the remaining material very difficult to separate.
A small change to a container design can truly make all the difference, so we’re excited to work with plastic converters in assessing package design and looking for opportunities to be more sustainable.
