Plastic Waste Management: Current Status and Weaknesses

The weaknesses of existing plastic waste management strategies lead to the pollution of the natural environment. Although around 75% of plastic litter come from developing countries, an important 25% is originated in western countries mainly due to the limited efficiency of the collection systems and low recycling rates. Global plastic production has almost doubled over the last decade, and it is predicted that it will continue to grow. This chapter provides an extensive review of current waste management routes and existing recycling and recovery options. Two types of plastic products have been considered: rigid and flexible materials. These materials show different behaviour and usually are treated separately. Plastic waste sources can also be diverse, but they are commonly grouped into post-industrial and post-consumer. In this chapter, the focus has been placed on post-consumer plastics since a higher amount of this type of waste is being generated and its treatment is more challenging.