Invited Talk: End of Life Considerations for Plastics Recyclability and Benign Degradation

Currently employed standards for plastics biodegradation have major limitations that impair detailed mechanisms involved in degradation pathways. There is a need for further improvement of the current conceptual understanding of the end of life of plastics and highlighting existing knowledge gaps. Detailed knowledge of plastics degradation behavior is important not only to aid in understanding the fate of plastics but also to help develop materials and application strategies that increase plastics recovery and help inform most appropriate end-of life options to minimize environmental concerns. The main mechanisms underlying the fundamental steps in depolymerization of plastics need to be elucidated. This knowledge is crucial for biodegradable plastic producers to produce and offer consumers more responsible choice plastics and refine their processes, where end-of-life considerations such as monomer recovery or biodegradation will be an integral part of new industry practice.