A Tracker Tool for Estimating Chemical Releases and Emissions in End-of-Life Plastic Management

Plastic production and continuously increasing usage globally present considerable challenges with waste disposal, creating a linear economy in which most plastic is used once and then landfilled or incinerated. Many efforts have been made to improve recycling in the US, but chemical additives in plastics have impeded the recyclability of end-of-life (EoL) plastics. This work aims to address this globally pressing issue by analyzing the movement of additives in plastic, and tracking their migration across the EoL stage pathways, including recycling, incineration, and landfilling. The municipal solid waste (MSW) data from the 2018 Advancing Sustainable Materials Management report was used as a basis for these calculations, and a case study was completed to measure changes in additive releases, environmental impacts, and energy consumption resulting from the different recycling efficiencies [1]. A Python-based graphical user interface (GUI) was programmed to allow users to change various parameters in the EoL stream data to make predictions and assist informed choices regarding the current MSW end-of-life procedures. Based on user input, this tool estimates the chemical additive releases, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption associated with these EoL procedures. This python-based GUI chemical release tracker tool is designed to support the transition towards a circular plastic economy by providing valuable insights into plastic EoL management, and work is ongoing to develop the program into a web-accessible application for free and public use.

[1] Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, December 2020. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/documents/2018_ff_fact_s....