Plastic waste management and recycling: a review

Abstract

The annual production of plastics worldwide has thrived to about 4.05% since 1950-2021 from 1.5 million tonnes to 390.7 million tonnes. And the need for plastics has increased because of a growing population and its extensive use in our daily lives. We have reviewed in this paper pertinent literature on management of plastic waste, recycling of plastics, types of plastics and their recyclability, plastic recycling process, benefits of plastic recycling and the challenges of plastic recycling in Nigeria. Papers that reported Plastic waste generation and management in Nigeria: Issues, challenges and strategies did not directly review the recyclability of plastic waste. There are different elements that formulate plastics like the polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and others which result to an end product of weightless and tough substance which can be transformed for several purposes. Management of plastic waste is germane because plastic waste not disposed properly has detrimental fallout on the Environment. The recycling process involves the collection, selecting, sorting, cleaning, shredding, then melting and molding. It is important to note that all plastics cannot be recycled together as a result of different molecular makeup. For instance, melting together all types of plastics gives rise to immiscibility and then different layers which weaken the structural formation of the polymer blend. A large chunk of the plastics produced yearly are used up in a short time and returned back as garbage. This paper also presents recommendations for global waste management and recyclability.