Plastic waste is one of the largest waste sources we produce, with UK households alone producing an estimated 90 billion pieces of plastic waste per year. Without the right recycling technologies, this waste is not sustainable. However, recent innovations mean both the processing and application for plastic waste could be moving in a positive direction.
At ETM Recycling, our goal is to bring better waste management and leading industry innovations to businesses in Bristol. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the recent developments in plastic recycling technologies – and what you can do to make an impact.
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Types of Plastic Recycling Technologies
When looking at plastic recycling technologies, three terms will often be thrown about: depolymerisation, gasification, and pyrolysis. Knowing what these terms mean and how they offer benefits to plastic recycling technologies will put you in a better spot to understand and capitalise on the latest innovations.
Depolymerisation
This process breaks down the individual components of plastic known as polymers into much smaller units. These units can then be used to create new plastics of lots of different kinds.
Breaking down plastics into their base components offers great flexibility for plastic recycling, and this technology can be carried out through applications of heat, chemicals, or enzymes, depending on the plastics being processed and the results required.
Gasification
Gasification is a high-temperature process (typically above 700°C) that converts organic materials, including plastics, into a synthetic gas known as “syngas”. This gas is mainly composed of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and can be used for energy production or for making fuels and chemicals.
Unlike incineration, gasification occurs with limited oxygen, reducing emissions and leading to a better overall impact on people and the planet.
Pyrolysis
A type of thermal decomposition that breaks down plastic waste without the need for oxygen, typically at temperatures of 300–800°C, pyrolysis converts plastics into oil, gas, and raw materials. The oil can be refined into fuels or used for new plastic production, making it a valuable method for recycling non-recyclable plastics, while the byproducts can be similarly processed for better capture of waste materials.
Key Benefits and Uses of Plastic Recycling Technologies
Advantages
Utilising plastic recycling technologies offers some clear benefits for people, businesses, and society as a whole. Here are some of the primary ways that better plastic recycling processes and practices can help:
- Less emissions from plastic waste
- More applications for recycled plastics
- Reduced need for virgin materials
- Preventing harm to natural environments
- Better opportunities for UK businesses – lower recycling costs, and cheaper materials available
Applications
With better plastic recycling technologies that support a greater yield of hazard-free plastics, recycled plastic materials have far greater potential uses. Here are some innovative ways you can use modern recycled plastics:
- Eco bricks – repurposing plastic waste into building materials offers a long-standing way to utilise this waste in a productive manner, and has contributed to a reduction in landfill plastics while providing cheaper building materials, particularly for developing areas.
- 3D printing – more powerful 3D printers mean better control over plastic polymers. From furniture to devices, 3D printing has a number of useful applications, and better conversion of recycled plastics into 3D printing materials means greater sustainability for this process.
- Plastic roads – incorporating plastic waste into asphalt and pothole sealant has meant durable, flexible, and cheap road material is even easier to come by. This can reduce costs for both repair and maintenance, extend the lifetime of roads, and provide a convenient disposal method for plastic waste.
- Changing the properties of plastic – due to potential hazards, recycled plastic waste is separated by categories that prevent toxins from coming into contact with things like food. Innovations like PureCycle enable a breakdown of plastic into base components, which can then be altered with chemical additives to achieve the desired properties of strength or flexibility.
Challenges of Plastic Recycling in 2025
While advancements in plastic recycling technologies have meant better returns from plastic recycling, the field doesn’t come without its challenges. A 2022 OECD report indicates that the world is producing twice as much plastic waste as 20 years ago, with only 9% of it being properly recycled. The rest? This invariably ends up in oceans, habitats, and landfill, contributing to the pollution of our land, sea, and sky.
The biggest challenge of plastic recycling is managing the waste that’s already been spread, but there are other challenges in the recycling process as well:
- Energy use in plastic recycling means certain processes aren’t sustainable, and some plastics make less of an impact when simply disposed of.
- Harmful chemicals can be released when plastic is recycled, damaging ecosystems and health.
- Diverting plastic waste to other countries means less control of what happens to it, potentially leading to inefficient outcomes.
- Struggling infrastructure can limit recycling potential, not making use of the latest innovations to bring the greatest results.
These challenges are hard to overcome without significant investments in infrastructure and approach. At ETM Recycling, we take pride in our resilient recycling systems and open mind to new plastic recycling technologies. As with all recycling, we believe the best first step is to observe your current process and see how you can make an impact.
What You Can Do to Make an Impact
Making use of the latest recycling tech may seem like it’s out of grasp, and there often seems to be little you can do as an individual or business. However, there are quite a few things you can do that’ll make a big impact. Here’s our top four:
1. Improve Your Recycling Ethos
Better employee training, more waste bins, less plastic to landfill. Following these simple steps can improve the amount of plastic waste you send on to the proper waste streams, increasing the amount that is ultimately recycled.
2. Use Recycled Plastics
Using recycled plastics in your products can greatly contribute to a circular waste economy, cutting down on the amount of virgin materials needed – while also lowering your costs.
3. Reduce Reliance on Plastic
Reducing the amount of plastic in your products, such as using thinner packaging or alternative materials, can also reduce the amount of plastic waste in circulation. This will make an impact both to your production line, and to the end-user when the product inevitably becomes waste.
4. Work with a Reliable Waste Management Partner
The best first step you can take is to work with a reliable partner that can inform and assist you with your plastic waste management. They will have access to the latest knowledge and processing technologies, enabling you to send your plastic waste to where it’s meant to go.
Better Plastic Waste Management with ETM Recycling
With a wide range of applications, and developing innovations for processing and usage, plastic recycling technologies have never been in a better place. What remains is to improve our own recycling practices, reducing the amount of plastic waste that exits the waste stream.
At ETM Recycling, we provide people and businesses in Bristol with better waste management for plastic and more, helping you find the solution to your waste problems. Get in touch today to find out how we can support you!
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