Plastic recycling heading for the mainstream

By 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic by weight than fish – if we don’t change our ways. This was the headline-grabbing conclusion of a 2016 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

A huge backlash against single-use plastics, in particular, ensued. But turning single-use plastic into public enemy number one is a simplistic response to a very complicated issue. Often plastic is the right material for the job, both logistically and environmentally.

Reducing our reliance on single-use plastic is only ever going to be partial solution to the pollution it causes. A complementary approach is to build a circular economy for plastic. A future where the resources in discarded plastic are recovered and regenerated into new plastic.