Circularity in Plastic Waste Management: A Critical Review of Recycling Challenges

Abstract

Plastic has become a globally ubiquitous commodity with widespread acceptance and utility. Its durability and affordability have enabled myriad applications. However, unsustainable consumption and poor end-of-life management have led to severe environmental repercussions. Millions of tons of plastic waste that end up in landfills and oceans each year pose a serious threat to the environment. In response to these challenges, the concept of circular economy has gained momentum, upholding the 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover as a sustainable solution for the traditional linear economy of “take-make-dispose.” Recycling is the most challenging step among these toward achieving circularity in plastic. This review critically analyses these challenges by identifying technological, market, and regulatory barriers to effective plastic recycling, including hazardous additives, unsustainable design, fragmented value chains, non-transparency in labelling, informal sector dynamics, and market constraints. Thus, an effective implementation of plastic recycling requires upstream reforms in product designing, safer material standards, market-based incentives, technological optimization, recycled-content mandates for manufacturers, integration of informal sector into formal sector, recycle-friendly behavior development among consumers, and harmonized regulatory interventions across regions. The efficient translation of these suggested recommendations needs a coordinated approach from multiple stakeholders such as government, industry, researchers, and consumers.