ACC touts opportunities for nonrecyclable plastics

The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Plastics Division has released an animated video that looks at the growing number of processes to create value for nonrecycled used plastics, whether as a new materials or energy.

The video, Beyond Recycling: Recovering the Energy in Non-Recycled Plastics, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5eX-J23_oE&feature=youtu.be, illustrates and explains processes for recycling plastics and converting those plastics that can’t be economically recycled into various forms of energy, including oil, gas, electricity and liquid and solid fuels.

The ACC says the video was designed to help policymakers, regulators, waste management professionals and other thought leaders see the vast potential of used plastics to be reused in new products from recycling, or tapped as a source of domestic energy.

“Today, we have more opportunities to recycle plastics than ever, and an increasing number of technologies are allowing us to convert non-recycled plastics into useful energy,” says Craig Cookson, director of sustainability and recycling for ACC’s Plastics Division. “Even after use, plastics are valuable materials that should not go to waste, and thanks to today’s technologies, they don’t have to.”