Diverted from Landfill: Reuse of Single-Use Plastic Packaging Waste

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Recycling Technology

Background:

• Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) packaging films are rarely recycled due to flexibility and low cost, contributing to landfill waste.
• The separation and sorting of plastic waste streams represent a significant cost barrier in recycling.
• Utilizing waste mixed plastics (wMP) can potentially reduce recycling costs and divert waste from landfills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the properties of PE-based wMP from film packaging.
• To compare the properties of wMP with segregated recycled polyolefins and virgin LDPE.
• To assess the impact of material form and processing on mechanical properties.

Main Methods:

• Plastic plaques produced directly from wMP shreds and after extrusion.
• Mechanical properties evaluated for different material forms and processing conditions.
• Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) used to confirm absence of thermal degradation.

Main Results:

• Properties of wMP fall within the range of virgin polyethylene grades, indicating batch variability.
• Extrusion pre-processing did not affect tensile properties but altered failure behavior.
• No thermal degradation observed during processing, confirmed by TGA.

Conclusions:

• Waste mixed plastics (wMP) from film packaging show promising properties for reuse.
• wMP can be integrated into real-world products, diverting waste from landfills.
• This research supports the adoption of wMP for a more circular economy in plastics.