Recycling Plastic: Complications & Limitations

Plastic is light, easy to store and transport, comes in an endless variety of textures and shapes and can hold
almost anything. Those properties make it attractive to manufacturers and packagers, who use it for anything
from ketchup bottles to disposable utensils. Unfortunately, plastic is much more difficult to recycle than
materials like glass, aluminum or paper. Most plastic soon ends up in a landfill or incinerator. Despite
promotion of plastic recycling, plastic production has outpaced recycling by five times over the past decade.
While increased plastic recycling is one way to alleviate this problem, it has only limited potential to reduce
the glut of plastic waste.