How much? US losing billions every year to landfilled plastic waste, finds Department of Energy

05 May 2022 --- The US economy lost at least US$7.2 billion from landfilled plastic waste last year, according to Department of Energy (DOE) estimates. Given the manufacturing, processing, transport, and marketing costs, this figure is likely to be significantly higher.

In a study published in Resources, Conservation and Energy, the DOE employed statistical and geospatial methods to present a comprehensive US plastic waste assessment by resin type at the state, county, and local levels. 

The findings estimate roughly 44 million metric tons of plastic waste managed in 2019, with 86% landfilled, 9% combusted, and 5% recycled. The energy value of the landfilled plastic would be enough to supply 5% of the power used by the US transportation sector or 5.5% by the industrial sector. 

Anelia Milbrandt, a senior research analyst at the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and co-author of the paper, says the findings should show policymakers and consumers that waste can be a valuable resource. 

“For us to tackle plastic waste pollution, we really need to understand better where those resources are. We would like to bring awareness to communities about the potential for these materials.”Up to US$9B is being lost every year through plastic waste in the US.

Value lost in landfill 
The lost energy from landfilled plastics equals about 3.4 exajoules (EJ) as embodied energy, meaning the energy taken to manufacture the material. This level is equivalent to 12% of energy consumption by the industrial sector. An additional 1.5 EJ as an energy source – equivalent to 5.5% and 5% of energy consumption by the industrial and transportation sectors, respectively. 

“We posit that a substantial amount of landfilled plastic waste could be recovered through advanced sorting, existing, and emerging recycling processes,” asserts Milbrandt. 

“Plastic waste is not just an environmental issue. It’s a waste management issue. It’s also a land-use issue because landfills are closing in many areas,” says energy analyst Anelia Milbrandt, who works at the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

“What do we do with all that waste? It has to go somewhere.” 

NREL’s analysis of the discarded plastics examined seven materials used to make bottles, CDs, milk jugs, take-out containers, and carrier bags, among other items. Communities across the US spent about US$2.3 billion on plastic waste disposal in 2019, indicates the research. 

The study authors note the amount of landfilled plastic waste in the US has been increasing because of several factors, including low recycling rates, population growth, consumer preference for single-use plastics, and low disposal fees in certain parts of the country.Landfilled plastic waste is increasing in the US.

Pressure mounts on incineration
Extracting value from waste plastic is one of industry and government’s biggest challenges. The closure of landfill sites and pressure mounting against incineration facilities means collection systems like Deposit Return Schemes and processing technologies for converting the waste into new material are more important than ever. 

Recently, Israeli group UBQ Materials began expanding a unique, largely confidential chemical process that it claims can turn any form of household waste into new plastic products. The company believes its technology could end landfills worldwide and provide a huge amount of resource capital by circularizing waste management streams. 

Currently, the cost of wasted plastic is probably even higher than the US DOE estimates, even when accounting for transport, production, end-of-life processes and collection. The long-term impact on human and environmental health is likely to be massive. The WWF estimates the true cost of virgin plastics, when considering their natural footprint, should be at least ten times higher than the current market value. 

By Louis Gore-Langton