Bethanie Carney Almroth, professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Gothenburg, is part of a research group that has tackled the issue of recycled plastic. It is supposed to be better for the environment, but was found to contain dangerous substances – at least in the countries that were investigated.
– What has been heard for almost four decades is that plastic recycling is a solution to the plastic problem. Sometimes the consumer is blamed for not recycling enough, she says and continues:
– But 16,000 chemicals are used in plastic production and even more can be absorbed into the plastic during the use or waste period.
“Hundreds of contaminations”
The researchers investigated plastic recycling in 13 different countries in the global south, such as Argentina and Malaysia. In plastic pellets made from recycled plastic there were hundreds of residues of pesticides and medicines. The analysisas published in Data in Brief, has not included plastics from Sweden.
– We found hundreds of contaminations, i.e. chemicals that are not plastic additives that got into the plastic during use. That means that plastic is a giant mixture of thousands of chemicals. We saw hundreds of hazardous substances in our analyses, and signs of many more, that we could not identify.
The big problem in plastic manufacturing is that it lacks transparency, says Bethanie Carney Almroth.
– There are almost no requirements for reporting and transparency, so manufacturers further down the chain have no idea what they have in their products. For example, we found pesticides in recycled plastic.
Steps towards global plastic agreement
This week there is one going on plastics conference in Nairobi with delegates from all over the world. The hope is a global agreement to reduce the harmful effects of plastic waste on people and the environment.
– What we are fighting for here is to bring about new legislation globally which means that plastic production is reduced, that complexity and chemicals are reduced. That you have to find new ways of doing things, such as finding other materials, says Bethanie Carney Almroth, who is on site as an advisory researcher.
Two ways forward are being discussed: A strategy for the world’s plastic production to become more environmentally friendly and for the life cycle of the plastic to be extended, or a more limited strategy that focuses on waste management.
CEO of Swedish Plastic Recycling: Not the same thing
Comparing the research study done on plastics in the global South with the one in Sweden is not fair, says Mattias Philipsson, CEO of Swedish Plastic Recycling.
– There is a huge difference in the production of plastic and also the recycling within the EU and outside the EU. There are completely different requirements in Europe and completely different controls on the recycling process and where it originates, says Mattias Philipsson.
Within the EU, as a recycler, you must meet the requirements of REACH and CLP legislation, where there are checks that the plastic does not exceed certain limit values for hazardous substances.
– Of course, it is good to carry out investigations and look for dangerous substances. We are in favor of tougher regulation and tougher requirements.
In Motala, a plastic sorting facility was inaugurated this week – which should be able to sort all of Sweden’s plastic consumption.