Alliance to End Plastic Waste launches waste management “playbooks” for global economies

26 Apr 2024 --- The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has published its first two “Solution Model” playbooks to improve the understanding of stakeholders across the plastic value chain about what is needed to drive systems change to end plastic waste pollution and develop a circular plastics economy. 

The models involve the development, de-risking and demonstration of solutions to address different sources of plastic waste in different situations. Each solution is tested through alliance projects. The alliance combines the projects’ findings with existing industry experience to improve the replication and scaling in collaboration with partners. 

Packaging Insights sits down with Martyn Tickner, chief advisor of the Technical Solutions Centre at Alliance to End Plastic Waste to discuss the playbooks and the challenges for efficient waste collection and recycling. 

The alliance is working together with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to create so-called playbooks. The first two playbooks are about “Engaging Households in Segregated Municipal Waste Collection” and “Unlocking Value Through Basic Manual Sorting of Municipal Waste.” 

Cultural challenges to household waste collection
The alliances’ first playbook addresses household waste segregation, which can improve the volume and quality of material collected for recycling while reducing sorting costs and decreasing landfill disposal. 

Tickner says households often have a lack of trust that what is segregated will actually be recycled.The playbook maps the steps alliance project partners have taken to encourage households to separate the waste “at source” in projects implemented in Argentina, China, India and Indonesia. 

Regarding the engagement of households in waste collection, Tickner identifies the largest challenge as a cultural one — the willingness of households to absorb the inconvenience of sorting waste before collection.

“There is a lack of trust that what is segregated will actually be recycled. We notice a chicken-and-egg dynamic where recyclers will also not invest in equipment until a reliable supply of feedstock is available,” says Tickner.

“There is quite a bit of confusion over what is recyclable and what is not. This is exacerbated by different requirements across different regions, sometimes varying on a very granular community or municipality level. Often, the result is that people ‘wish-cycle’ — by including items that cannot be recycled in recycling collection bags or bins.”

Tickner explains that when wish-cycling is coupled with a lack of efficient downstream sorting processes, it culminates in the contamination of otherwise clean recyclate streams.

“Other common challenges include needing to make space for multiple refuse containers on streets, in commercial buildings and within a household, as well as single-disposal chutes in high-rise buildings. One solution that can be explored to address the latter is using colored disposal bags to differentiate waste streams,” he says.

“Even within the same country, every local context will have its specific nuances. The alliance is endeavoring to identify generic, persistent challenges to facilitate comprehension. Cultural challenges and the nature of recycling infrastructure present in a locality are the most significant variants to factor.”

Providing safe facilities 
The second playbook highlights the improved value recovery of plastic waste for recycling, including the use of simple and low-cost equipment to improve the ergonomics and speed of basic manual sorting. 

Alliance projects that underpin this Solution Model can be found in Brazil, China, Indonesia and Kenya.Tickner identifies providing suitable facilities to ensure worker health and safety as a main challenge for successful circularity.

“We found that manual sorting can be very effective at providing high-quality feedstock for recycling. When it comes to downstream sorting, meaning post disposal and collection, the cost of labor involved combined with the training required and staff turnover rate is a challenge faced by waste management and recycling companies, particularly in higher-income regions,” explains Tickner.

“Technological advancements can be used to support the training of waste sorters to show them what to pick. For example, handheld spectrometers, such as TrinamiX, can be used to identify the types of polymers in an object.”

Tickner identifies providing suitable ergonomic facilities to ensure worker health and safety as the main issue the alliance and its partners are working on to improve manual sorting.

“In emerging markets, investing in tables or better yet, conveyor belts, are much better than trying to sort a pile of waste tipped onto the floor.”

“We continually monitor and evaluate the success of solutions demonstrated by the projects we support. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution to the plastic waste challenge and these playbooks are intended to document the challenges involved in implementing a solution and the enabling conditions necessary for success — all gleaned from lessons learned,” highlights Tickner.

The two playbooks are the first in a series the alliance plans to launch throughout the year. 

“We intend to seek a wider network of partners to further develop, strengthen, replicate and scale Solutions Models to end plastic waste leakage and capture the value of said waste through recycling, thereby facilitating the transition to a circular economy for plastics,” says Tickner.

By Natalie Schwertheim