Understanding Plastics Recycling : Economic, Ecological, and Technical Aspects of Plastic Waste Handling

This book shows the true and often-underestimated market potential of plastics recycling, with analysis from economic, ecological, and technical perspectives. It is aimed at both technical and non-technical readers, including decision makers in material suppliers, plastic product manufacturers, governmental agencies, educators, and anyone with a general interest in plastics recycling.

An overview of waste handling systems with a focus on the U.S. market is provided. Different methods of waste handling are compared from both economic and ecological perspectives.

Because plastic waste recycling is essential from an ecological point of view, common strategies and new approaches to both increase the recycling rate and improve recycling economically and technically are presented. This includes processing and material properties of recycled plastics.

Finally, a worldwide outlook of plastic recycling is provided with analysis of additional worldwide markets, encompassing highly developed, fast-developing, and less developed countries.

Bonus:  All the data and calculations presented in the book are provided as downloadable spreadsheets for the reader’s own analysis and updates.

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Acronyms and Other Abbreviations

Chapter 1 : All About the Waste
Chapter 2 : Plastics - Increasing Value, Decreasing Lifetime
Chapter 3 : Plastics Recycling - Conservation of Valuable Resources
Chapter 4 : Economic Analysis of Plastic Waste Handling
Chapter 5 : Environmental Analysis of Plastic Waste Handling
Chapter 6 : Optimization of Plastics Recycling
Chapter 7 : Plastic Waste of the World: Increasing Potential of Recycling
Chapter 8 : Appendix

Index