The City of Tucson has formed a partnership with Dow Chemical, Reynolds Consumer Products and ByFusion to collect plastic waste at drop-off centers and convert the materials into alternative secondary products, such as park benches and building blocks. Some of the waste may also be sent to cement kilns and pyrolysis facilities to be burned to create energy, fuel and/or converted into small amounts of chemicals to make new plastic.
Known as Hefty ReNew, this program unfortunately does not address the root causes of the plastic pollution problem: the overproduction and overconsumption of single-use products that were designed to be used for just a few moments before they become waste. This program also does not address the life-cycle impacts of plastic. We tend to view plastic as a waste or litter issue. However, plastic production can threaten the environment and human health long before the single-use products reach our homes.
Nearly each piece of single-use disposable plastic begins as fossil fuel, and greenhouse gas emissions are emitted at each stage of its existence. This includes fossil fuel extraction and transport, plastic refining and production and manageing plastic waste. Plastic production also releases a host of harmful pollutants into the air, water and soil, which can increase the risk of health issues like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illnesses for industry workers and nearby communities. Plastic production tends to be concentrated in low-income communities and communities of color, making it a significant environmental justice issue.
Repurposing or downcycling plastic waste into building products instead of creating a new version of the same product means more virgin materials will be needed to produce the next generation of single-use plastic. Unfortunately, plastic packaging is extremely difficult to recycle because of the different types of resins, chemicals and additives used to make plastic. The consumer brands and plastic industry have not made it a priority to build circularity into their packaging and products.
While there is a place for repurposing materials in the solid waste management system, it is not a substitute for closed-loop recycling systems where discarded material is captured and reintroduced into the product manufacturing process. This will reduce the demand for virgin materials to make new single-use products. Even better are alternative systems that deliver products in reusable or refillable packaging. Reuse and refill systems can help “turn off the tap” for single-use plastic. They can also reduce the need to expand plastic production operations which generate greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants.
We need to transition from “take-make-use-waste” economic models to circular ones where waste is reduced at the source and materials are kept in circulation for as long as possible.