Where does plastic waste go?

In the US, most used plastics are not currently collected for recycling, reports Popular Science. Of the 10% of plastic waste that is recycled, easily sortable items such as bottles tend to be recycled within the country, while almost everything else is exported, typically to developing countries such as China, where recycling processes can be harmful to the environment and human health. Some 30% of US e-waste is plastic, and plastic scrap became the top US export to China by value ($11.3bn) in 2011.

Indeed, Biddle would be thrilled to see an MBA Polymers plant operating in the US, but the economics of the situation just don’t stack up. It simply wouldn’t be possible to guarantee a steady stream of plastic waste to process.

Here’s a typical journey for US plastic waste:

To read the whole Popular Science article, please click here.