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Circular Economy 2023, 2(4): 100066 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cec.2023.100066
Original Research | Open Access | Issue | Published: 25 November 2023

A recycling technology selection framework for evaluating the effectiveness of plastic recycling technologies for circular economy advancement

Show Author's Information Idowu O. Kunlere( ),  Kalim U. Shah
Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Keywords:
Circular economy, Plastic pollution, Circularity indicators, Resource optimization, Recycling technology selection framework (RTSF)
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Kunlere IO, Shah KU. A recycling technology selection framework for evaluating the effectiveness of plastic recycling technologies for circular economy advancement. Circular Economy, 2023, 2(4): 100066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cec.2023.100066
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Abstract Full text About this article

Despite progress in plastic waste recycling technologies, global plastic waste recycling rates remain disappointing. This problem not only suggests an underutilization of existing recycling technologies but also hinders resource utilization, the circular economy, and sustainable manufacturing. Several studies have proposed addressing this issue by evaluating recycling technologies based on recycled waste volume. However, such single-indicator methods often overlook other critical factors and, thus, may not provide holistic assessments. Additionally, existing methods for evaluating or comparing different recycling technologies are often complex and time-consuming. In contrast, other studies have proposed hundreds of indicators for assessing the effectiveness and suitability of recycling technologies, further complicating the selection process. Consequently, recyclers and other stakeholders often struggle to identify the most effective and suitable recycling technologies for different plastic waste types and under specific conditions. To address these challenges, we propose the recycling technology selection framework (RTSF), a simple tool that enables easy visualization of relevant recycling indicators under five key pillars: economic, technical, environmental, social, and policy. By enabling recyclers and stakeholders to quickly identify, select, and visualize factors of interest from a large pool, the RTSF facilitates qualitative comparison and enhances the evaluation of the effectiveness and suitability of multiple plastic recycling technologies. Lastly, the RTSF can serve as a preliminary tool and be integrated with other approaches to enhance the effectiveness of plastic recycling technologies.


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About this article

A recycling technology selection framework for evaluating the effectiveness of plastic recycling technologies for circular economy advancement

Show Author's information Idowu O. Kunlere( ), Kalim U. Shah
Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

Abstract

Despite progress in plastic waste recycling technologies, global plastic waste recycling rates remain disappointing. This problem not only suggests an underutilization of existing recycling technologies but also hinders resource utilization, the circular economy, and sustainable manufacturing. Several studies have proposed addressing this issue by evaluating recycling technologies based on recycled waste volume. However, such single-indicator methods often overlook other critical factors and, thus, may not provide holistic assessments. Additionally, existing methods for evaluating or comparing different recycling technologies are often complex and time-consuming. In contrast, other studies have proposed hundreds of indicators for assessing the effectiveness and suitability of recycling technologies, further complicating the selection process. Consequently, recyclers and other stakeholders often struggle to identify the most effective and suitable recycling technologies for different plastic waste types and under specific conditions. To address these challenges, we propose the recycling technology selection framework (RTSF), a simple tool that enables easy visualization of relevant recycling indicators under five key pillars: economic, technical, environmental, social, and policy. By enabling recyclers and stakeholders to quickly identify, select, and visualize factors of interest from a large pool, the RTSF facilitates qualitative comparison and enhances the evaluation of the effectiveness and suitability of multiple plastic recycling technologies. Lastly, the RTSF can serve as a preliminary tool and be integrated with other approaches to enhance the effectiveness of plastic recycling technologies.

Keywords: Circular economy, Plastic pollution, Circularity indicators, Resource optimization, Recycling technology selection framework (RTSF)

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Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements
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Publication history

Received: 21 August 2023
Revised: 21 November 2023
Accepted: 22 November 2023
Published: 25 November 2023
Issue date: December 2023

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s).

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This study is funded under the National Science Foundation's “FMRG: Eco: A Systems-Enabled Paradigm Shift for Modular Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing” project, Thrust 3 (Award Number: NSF Grant # 2134471).

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This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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