Pang, J. J. M., Lee, Y. H., Zhao, H., Ong, A., & Lim, J. Y. C. (2025). Can mixed plastics be recycled and upcycled without separation? Green Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5gc03714j
Abstract:
With more than 400 million tonnes of plastic waste produced each year, developing effective treatment
options for post-use plastics is an urgent imperative to reduce plastic pollution whilst preserving their
material and chemical value within a circular economy. Whilst recycling and upcycling are emerging as
important strategies to improve plastic circularity, a key bottleneck for practical adoption of these technologies is the complexity of plastic feedstock, especially from municipal streams heavily contaminated with
different plastic types and non-plastic waste. This often necessitates plastic sorting and cleaning, whose
complexity and labour-intensiveness add to the cost of recycling and upcycling and hinder more widespread adoption. In this review, we critically examine and spotlight the possibility of recycling or upcycling
mixed plastics as an alternative to utilising only clean, single-component plastic feedstock streams. We
discuss strategies to chemically recycle and upcycle mixed plastics into industrially-relevant molecules
and functional materials, as well as the possibility of repurposing mixed plastics for polymer blend
materials. Through this critical discussion, we hope to highlight the pressing need for designing emerging
technologies for addressing the inherent heterogeneity of real-life plastic waste streams, contributing to
an economically-viable and sustainable post-use plastics economy.
License type:
Publisher Copyright
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the A*STAR - RIE2025 Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC) Programmatic Funding
Grant Reference no. : M22K9b0049
This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation - NRF Fellowship
Grant Reference no. : NRF-NRFF15-2023-0007