塑料废物的增加是对生态和人类健康的关键全球挑战,需要有针对性的解决方案来减少环境中无处不在的塑料污染。虽然回收一直被吹捧为应对塑料废物和资源利用的一种解决方案,它在很大程度上无法抵消全球塑料产量每年超过4亿吨的影响,由于全球回收率仅为9%,实施塑料树脂规范三十多年来,回收有利于热塑性塑料,忽略热固性塑料。不断需要通过探索先进的方法来提高整体回收效率,因为在充分释放塑料回收潜力方面存在巨大差距。我们确定了与塑料废物回收及其潜在环境影响相关的关键差距。我们讨论了回收技术的实质性进展,具有受控化学品使用的可回收性设计,以及扩大再生塑料市场和遏制塑料泄漏到环境中的经济激励措施。此外,我们强调一些新兴战略和具有法律约束力的国际政策文书,例如全球塑料条约,需要进一步发展以减少塑料废物和提高塑料可回收性。
Increasing plastic waste is a critical global challenge to ecological and human health requiring focused solutions to reduce omnipresent plastic pollution in the environment. While recycling has been touted as one solution to counter plastic waste and resource utilization, it has been largely ineffective in offsetting the impact of rising global plastic production of more than 400 million metric tonnes annually, due to low global recycling rates of only 9%. Over three decades since implementing plastic resin codes, recycling has favoured thermoplastics, neglecting thermoset plastics. There is a constant need to enhance overall recycling efficiency by exploring advanced methods, as enormous gaps exist in fully unlocking the potential of plastic recycling. We identify critical gaps associated with plastic waste recycling and its potential environmental impacts. We discuss substantial progress in recycling technology, designs-for-recyclability with controlled chemical use, and economic incentives to expand markets for recycled plastics and to curb plastic leakage into the environment. Additionally, we highlight some emerging strategies and legally binding international policy instruments, such as the Global Plastics Treaty that require further development to reduce plastic waste and improve plastic recyclability.