What we don't get about recycling and how to overcome the challenges to it.
Malin dives deep into the unknown of recycling, what barriers there are to the increase of it and how co-creation plays a role in overcoming the challenges with Lena Stig, Sustainable Plastic Use at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The talk is framed around these questions:
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Credits
Artwork: Giancarlo Mitidieri
Jingle: Frans Sjöberg
Malin:
This is the podcast where we're following the progress of transforming the market on plastic products and packaging in Sweden, ultimately moving away from taking, making and wasting to a circular plastics economy. I'm Malin Leth, and I'm the host. And today we have Lena Stig, working with sustainable plastics use at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, EPA with us!
Lena, what's the current status on material recycling in Sweden?
Lena:
If we look at the survey of plastic based on figures from 2016 and '17, it is obvious that we use a lot of plastics, but does not take care of it. The material recycling of plastic is less than 10%, and most of the plastic waste is incinerated and energy recovered.
Malin:
Mm.
Lena:
Yeah. But the recycling rates, they vary depending on the waste category. It goes from zero in unsorted, mixed waste, up to 84% for PET bottles. But we want to minimize the knowledge gaps about this plastic flows. So this survey of mapping on plastic flows in Sweden is being updated this year. And it also makes me happy that there are so many initiatives that has been taking already and are ongoing both from the demand side and the supply side, including recycling industry, of course.
Malin:
Mm. Do you have any examples of that?
Lena:
Yes. For example, the National Agency for Public Procurement, they have launched new procurement criteria for three types of packaging, and packaging is one of the biggest flows. And we also have in the public sector, there's a lot of going on in Danderyd Hospital, a pilot project about making new aprons out of used aprons have been going on, to make a circle flow, to minimize climate impact.
Malin:
Wow. So that was plastic aprons?
Lena:
Yes, plastic aprons.
Malin:
Mm, cool.
Lena:
They really used a lot of them during the pandemic, so they needed better flow.
Malin:
Yeah.
Lena:
And we also have examples from the recycling industry, and that's in connection with our guidance for sorting and recycling of plastic from the construction sector. They have listed products and those that facilitate both collection and recycling on the web.
Malin:
Hmm. Interesting. So I guess most of us know that we need to increase the demand for recycled plastics and then that we also have to redesign plastic products and packaging for the long term use, and reuse and recycling. But if we're then looking at the current recycling rates in Sweden, what is the one thing that we just don't get aiming for a circular plastics economy?
Lena:
Well, maybe it is that the rate is lower than expected, and also that this low rates, recycling rates, besides littering and impact on climate also mean that high value is being lost. So if we could create more resource effective circles, we could also benefit on it in many other ways.
I think there also is... Hmm. It could also be that we need to take on a holistic approach. We have to think about the afterlife and before life when designing solutions.
So overall, we need to use resources in a smarter way to minimize use of resources, not only plastic. It's energy, water, and other resources as well. And we should use plastic when plastic is the best choice, when it gives value. And we need to do this without compromising biodiversity, for example.
Malin:
Mm. Yeah. So it's a lot about almost lifting the gaze from the product itself to what's before life and what's after life, and how that's connected to other resources that we're using.
Lena:
Yes. And of course the functionality of the product.
Malin:
Mm. But then I come to think of like the discussion we have on recycling. Do we have a recycling gap of what we think we could... Or do we have a gap on what we could recycle and what we aren't recycling?
Lena:
Yes, we have indeed. And we have identified increased recycling as one of the four impact areas in our roadmap towards sustainable plastic use. So it's essential that we look at all four of them, of course, choosing raw material from the beginning, and use the resources smart, and stop the leaking, for example. And it's not only we who have identified this recycling gap. Swedish EPA also been commissioned by the government to propose measures to increase the recycling of plastic, plastics that cannot be reused.
Malin:
Wow.
Lena:
Yeah. And this assignment for increased material cycling, that will be reported at the end of November this year. So we are working on it at the moment.
Malin:
So we will soon have more insights on that topic.
Lena:
Yes, I hope so.
Malin:
But then why is there a difference between a product being recyclable and it being recycled in practice?
Lena:
If we start with a product that is already designed for recycling, we still need to create a circular flow where the value of the plastic is maintained so that it has the potential to be recycled several times, avoiding downcycling. And we need an infrastructure and capacity in place to collect, sort, transport, and prepare the waste for this recycling. And that is not all. To make this happen, we also need a demand for recycled material, which means that the quality must be high enough for its purpose, and that it is profitable for the producer.
Malin:
Lena, what is needed to close the recycling gap?
Lena:
We have to work together in the value chain, all of us, the whole supply chain and R&D consumers, private sector, and public sector. And we have to look at multiple solutions. There are different strategies of different plastic flows depending on the functionality. So if you can imagine the circle in a circular economy, we could make the wheel spin slower. That means prolonging the life of the products. Or we could make the wheel smaller to use less resources. And we could also create small, more circles on a local level. If we do that, we save transport, reduce climate impact resources. So that's different.
And I know that for example, in health sector, one strategy is to minimize complexity, to use less plastics, to use less types of plastic and less types of products and less unwanted chemicals. So if you minimize complexity both from when you design a product or when you're procuring products in the public sector, that could facilitate more circular economy.
Malin:
So to scale up the transformation towards a circular plastics economy, what do you see as essential to keep in mind?
Lena:
Since there are many complex challenges - we have this long supply chain of plastic, which often makes it difficult to specify requirement. And we also have products that are not designed. We have low volumes, so collective plastic in comparison with the use, low demand. And there are also a lack of incentives in infrastructure. We would need more motivation tools.
So in order to make a big step forward, we could use innovation challenges or innovation competition. So if we define a challenge toward a transformation we want to see, for example, to stimulate design of reuse, recycling and circularity, we could target many sustainable development goals at the same time. So when tackling many challenges at the same time, we could also make this transformation bigger.
And one success factor doing these kinds of competitions or challenges is that you could select a challenge that motivated many people. For example, food can be a driver for change. And you can also engage people with different need, perspective and expertise so you get more power, speed up effort.
Malin:
So that was an in-depth discussion about what we don't get about recycling, and specifically material recycling and plastics, and how it's all connected to how the plastics market is functioning or not functioning. And the difference between something working in theory and how it's applied in practice, you know, the gap.
If you want to learn more about the practical advice Lena shared with us in this episode, check the links in our show notes. And also if you have any questions, reflections or other things you want to share with us on the topic transitioning towards a circle of plastics economy, send them in text or as voicemail to oceanalliance@hsr.se.