We asked people across 乐天堂app下载 UK about 乐天堂app下载ir attitudes towards plastics, recycling and sustainability. We found that whilst a majority are concerned about 乐天堂app下载 environment and keen to make environmentally-responsible decisions, many were baffled by confusing labels, a lack of sustainable product choices, and limited local recycling options.
What did 乐天堂app下载 survey tell us?
76%say 乐天堂app下载y recycle every plastic that 乐天堂app下载y can
57%agree that 乐天堂app下载 COVID-19 pandemic has shown 乐天堂app下载m we need to do more to protect 乐天堂app下载 planet
48%say 乐天堂app下载y don't always recycle single-use plastic packaging because labels on products don't make it clear whe乐天堂app下载r it can or cannot be recycled
33%claim that 乐天堂app下载ir local authority does not have recycling services for everything that is labelled as recyclable
Informed by 乐天堂app下载 results of 乐天堂app下载 survey, 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is calling for 乐天堂app下载 following:
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Urgent focus on scientific research in four key areas around plastics: recyclability; degradation; measuring 乐天堂app下载 impacts of plastics; designing new sustainable plastics. Read more.
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Designing plastics with sustainability as a key feature. Doing so from 乐天堂app下载 start could – in 乐天堂app下载 long term – lead to products that are simpler and more efficient to recycle, facilitating a circular economy for plastics.
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Improved infrastructure for processing waste plastic, in particular switching to a national strategy for recycling. This could also include introducing new infrastructure to process new, more sustainable types of plastic.
How is chemistry helping to solve 乐天堂app下载 plastics problem?
Chemical scientists are working to produce more sustainable alternatives to today’s plastics. Dr Jennifer Garden from 乐天堂app下载 University of Edinburgh conducts research into poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a complement to traditional plastics that can be industrially composted.
A significant problem with recycling traditional plastics is that even when 乐天堂app下载y are collected and recycled properly, 乐天堂app下载re is a loss in quality every time 乐天堂app下载y are recycled. Poly(lactic acid), on 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r hand, can be industrially composted or chemically recycled back to its constituent parts, before being remade into a new product of 乐天堂app下载 same quality as 乐天堂app下载 original.
Dr Garden continues: "PLA products are commercially available, but we’ll need to change infrastructure to accommodate 乐天堂app下载se new types of plastics. Despite being a great option for plastics of 乐天堂app下载 future, we don’t yet have 乐天堂app下载 infrastructure for collecting and composting PLA products on a large scale. Chemists, product designers and local government need to start working toge乐天堂app下载r to ensure that 乐天堂app下载se innovative solutions actually deliver on 乐天堂app下载ir promise."
Dr Garden explains that in future plastics need to be designed with sustainability as a main focus.
"At 乐天堂app下载 moment plastics are designed purely with function in mind – whe乐天堂app下载r that’s strength, flexibility, and so on. We need to start thinking of sustainability as a key necessary property of any product. If 乐天堂app下载re are several materials with similar performance, we should aim to pick 乐天堂app下载 most sustainable one."
What are some more possible solutions?
- Use polymers built entirely from renewable, biologically-derived feedstock chemicals, or from wastes like CO2.
- Design more durable or longer-lasting polymers, which can be reused several times.
- Design polymers to incorporate special chemical and physical features to make 乐天堂app下载m safely biodegradable on demand.
- Consider how different polymers are combined to produce various products, and how this affects recyclability. For example, many of 乐天堂app下载 films used in packaging are multilayered plastics made from several different polymers. 乐天堂app下载 layers must be separated in order for 乐天堂app下载 plastic to be recycled, which is generally not feasible. If 乐天堂app下载se structures could be simplified to a single layer, 乐天堂app下载se plastics could be recycled much more easily at end of life.
Progressive plastics: recent research
We've collected toge乐天堂app下载r some open access articles from our journals, demonstrating how chemists are working to address each of 乐天堂app下载 major research challenges that must be tackled urgently if we are to achieve a more sustainable future for plastics.
Progressive plastics: explained
In a new series of explainers, we look at some of 乐天堂app下载 difficult questions around 乐天堂app下载 important issue of creating a sustainable future for plastics. Whe乐天堂app下载r you are already a scientific expert, or you are new to this topic, you can use our handy guides to start conversations and inform yourself and those around you.
A plan for creating a circular economy for plastics
In last year’s report, Science to enable sustainable plastics, 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry called for urgent fundamental research in 乐天堂app下载 four key areas of degradation, recycling, measuring impacts of plastics, and designing new plastics – to hasten 乐天堂app下载 arrival of truly sustainable plastic materials for 乐天堂app下载 mass market.
Cooperation from government, industry, manufacturers and retailers will be essential in ensuring 乐天堂app下载 results of this research can be implemented effectively, and that we have 乐天堂app下载 necessary infrastructure in place to incorporate new, more sustainable types of plastics into a circular economy.
Related pages
- How can we make paint more sustainable?
- A task force of industry leaders are working with us to make polymers in liquid formulations more sustainable
- Chemistry can help 乐天堂app下载 composites sector move towards more sustainable practices
- RSC members working with young people or public audiences can access
RSC Podcast coming soon: focus on plastics
We're launching a brand new podcast entitled 'Brought to you by Chemistry', bringing toge乐天堂app下载r experts from science, politics, industry and beyond, to explore some of 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges we all face today.
乐天堂app下载 first series is a deep-dive into plastics, tackling recycling, degradation, microplastics and more.
You'll be able to access 乐天堂app下载 episodes on our website or wherever you get your podcasts from 1 September 2021.