Permanent Disposal of Plastic Waste By Carbon Sequestration

Carbon capture and sequestration is a technically feasible and economically attractive answer to the unsolved and growing problem of the responsible management of low-grade, post-consumer plastic waste in a world increasingly focused on the environmental impacts of carbon in the atmosphere. While reduced use and recycling of plastic can contribute to limiting the impact of plastic production and use on the environment, new solutions to the problem of accumulating plastic waste are needed. Solutions for plastic waste disposal must be scalable to the magnitude of the problem and will be acceptable, in the future, only if they do not contribute carbon emissions to the atmosphere. This paper presents the technology and economic rationale for deployment of processing plants that convert plastic waste to carbon dioxide for permanent sequestration in deep geologic structures. Carbon capture and storage technology has been actively pursued in connection with power generation around the world but has met economic challenges in that application. The paper discusses how and why these developments in carbon capture technology present a sustainable, affordable, and conclusive answer to the problem of plastic waste management.