Recycling Alternatives to Treating Plastic Waste, Environmental, Social and Economic Effects: A Literature Review

Plastic waste is a problem not only for the environment, but also for the municipal solid waste management. In order to get new raw materials, further natural resources are being exploited. Moreover, plastic refuse that could be reintroduced into the production process is wasted. One important strategy to treat this waste is recycling. The importance lies in the fact that the plastic recycling process reduces the amount of waste going to landfills, and also because it permits a reduction in the consumption of virgin material and resources used to produce original polymers. Recycled plastic could be used as an input in the cycle production of new products, which is the case for concrete, car industry and textiles. Therefore, recycling could be considered an ecofriendly method for the treatment of plastic waste and a good opportunity for reducing the environmental impact, considering that the energy demands of recycling and reusing plastics are much lower than the energy inputs required to deal with virgin materials. This paper carries out a review of the relevant scientific research in the field of plastic recycling in order to make an overview of this practice and its impact on the environment.