The Plastic Recycling Mirage

Since 2018, March 18 has been celebrated as Global Recycling Day, an recognition and reminder of the importance that recycling plays to preserving resources and fostering a circular economy. We have long urged the community to recycle and do their part in creating a sustainable future, but what if we were being sold a false solution by vested interests?

A recent report, titled "The Fraud of Plastic Recycling,” has revealed a troubling reality that the petrochemical industry has been actively pushing the idea that we can recycle our way out of the plastic waste crisis for decades in order to keep demand for plastics growing.[1] It paints a damning picture of the industry’s approach to the plastic waste crisis. Rather than confronting the issue as a technical or economic challenge, they have cynically treated it as one of public relations, strategically maneuvering to fend off the threat of regulation.

The superficiality of the industry’s promotion is made most evident that, despite their continued call for recycling, only 9% of plastic waste has been recycled.[2]Even as countries around the world are negotiating a global plastics treaty, industry lobbyists have been slowing down deliberations, pushing for new solutions like advanced recycling without addressing the core issue—the disposability of single-use plastics.[3]^,[4]

The majority of plastic waste end up in landfills or in the environment (Image source: AFP)

The consequences of our plastic addiction are no longer just eyesores along coastlines; they are irrevocably integrating into the environment. For instance, geologists have been finding "plastistones” across several countries.[5]These plastic-rock complexes, formed by burning campfires, wave action, evaporation, or sunlight, are being recognised as a novel form of sedimentary rock, and a testament to our influence on the ecological landscape.

A plastistone made from the fusion of rock and fishing net (Image source: AFP)

Even more concerning is that micro- and nanoplastics can now be found in our blood,[6]and can even penetrate the blood-brain barrier.[7]While the World Health Organization has not yet found conclusive evidence on the impact of plastic particulates within our bodies,[8] a recent three-year study observed a link between their presence in our major arteries and the increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death.[9]

Angular plastic particles in macrophages and artery plaques (Image source: Marfella et al.)

In Hong Kong, Phase 1 of the ban on disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products is expected in late April, and we are already seeing some resistance like with the waste charging scheme. Businesses want to self-regulate, but reality shows many lack the capacity or intention to do so. As more jurisdictions embrace the growing global movement to banning plastics, Hong Kong too must heed the call to stem the tide of plastic waste to protect our environment and ourselves.