Lost value of landfilled plastic in US

Date:
May 3, 2022
Source:
DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Summary:
With mountains of plastic waste piling up in landfills and
scientists estimating that there will be more plastics by weight
than fish in the ocean by 2050, the growing environmental challenge
presented to the world by plastics is well understood. What is
less well understood by the scientific community is the lost energy
opportunity. In short, plastic waste is also energy wasted.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
With mountains of plastic waste piling up in landfills and scientists estimating that there will be more plastics by weight than fish in
the ocean by 2050, the growing environmental challenge presented to
the world by plastics is well understood. What is less well understood
by the scientific community is the lost energy opportunity. In short,
plastic waste is also energy wasted.


========================================================================== Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL) calculated the energy value of landfilled plastic waste in 2019 was enough to supply 5% of the power used by the country's transportation sector, or 5.5% by the industrial sector.

They also provided a look at how much plastic waste has been deposited
in landfills, on a regional, state, and county level, and the problem is
bigger than previously believed. NREL estimates the amount of plastic
waste in the United States is 44 million metric tons. Using a slightly different methodology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency puts
the figure at 32.2 million metric tons.

"For us to tackle plastic waste pollution, we really need to
understand better where those resources are," said Anelia Milbrandt,
a senior research analyst at NREL and co-author of a new paper,
"Quantification and evaluation of plastic waste in the United States," published in the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling. "We
would like to bring awareness to communities about the potential for
these materials." Her NREL co-authors are Kamyria Coney, Alex Badgett,
and Gregg Beckham. A senior research fellow, Beckham heads the BOTTLE Consortium, a collaborative launched last year in an effort to address
the waste-plastics problem.

By identifying areas with large quantities of plastic waste, the
scientists are hoping to highlight the economic opportunities that could
arise by recovering their value through different processes. Only about 5%
of the waste plastic in the United States was recycled in 2019, while 86%
was left in landfills. The rest was burned to generate electricity.



========================================================================== NREL's analysis of the discarded plastics examined seven materials --
variously used to make bottles, CDs, milk jugs, take-out containers,
and bags, among other items. Communities across the country spent about
$2.3 billion on plastic waste disposal in 2019.

The researchers noted the amount of landfilled plastic waste in the United States has been increasing because of several factors, including low
recycling rates, population growth, consumer preference for single-use plastics, and low disposal fees in certain parts of the country. The
problem has been exacerbated by China's refusal beginning in 2017 to
import nonindustrial plastic waste from the United States.

Developing new recycling techniques for plastics would create incentives
for a circular economy, where what once was discarded would be reused
instead of virgin plastics. The market value of landfilled plastic
ranges from $4.5 billion to $9.9 billion, or $7.2 billion on average,
the researchers estimated.

The embodied energy in the waste plastic -- an indicator of how much
energy it took to manufacture the materials -- equates to about 12%
of the country's energy consumption by the industrial sector.

Some types of plastic are separated and recycled, chiefly polyethylene terephthalate (commonly known as PET), used to make soda bottles; and
high- density polyethylene, used for milk jugs and shampoo bottles,
but these still represent a significant percentage of plastics found
in landfills.

The filmy plastic used for bags is among the most prevalent type found
in landfills.



==========================================================================
The researchers pointed out two possible solutions for the plastics not
being recycled: Develop new products that rely on these plastics to
encourage their sorting and collection, and develop advanced sorting technologies that could eventually lead to increased use of recycled
materials.

"I'm hoping this paper also increases awareness for industry and investors
to look for opportunities," Milbrandt said.

The amount of plastic waste correlates with population size. California,
Texas, and Florida are the three most populous states and also have the
largest amount of landfilled plastic waste. New York, however, is fourth
for population, but it ships much of its waste outside of the state.

"Plastic waste is not just an environmental issue. It's a waste management issue. It's also a land use issue because landfills are closing in many
areas," Milbrandt said. "What do we do with all that waste? It has to
go somewhere. I believe local governments and industry developers will
see a benefit of this report by providing them information to support decisions." DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office funded the research.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL
is operated for the Energy Department by the Alliance for Sustainable
Energy, LLC.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
DOE/National_Renewable_Energy_Laboratory. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Anelia Milbrandt, Kamyria Coney, Alex Badgett, Gregg T. Beckham.

Quantification and evaluation of plastic waste in the United States.

Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2022; 183: 106363 DOI:
10.1016/ j.resconrec.2022.106363 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220503141316.htm

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