Sustainability – are all plastics bad?

There has been a lot of recent media coverage of the terrible impact plastic has had on our planet, in particular our oceans and effect on marine life. However, not all plastics can be tarnished with the same brush, after all plastic is an excellent engineering material when selected and used correctly – right?

With the dominance of the big supermarkets, their buyers have squeezed the margins on suppliers and looked further overseas for better prices. The result is a requirement to ship food long distance and protect its contents and keep it fresher for longer – well plastic is an excellent low cost, durable material for undertaking this task. Gone are the days from buying your cheese from the local shop in brown paper. We can’t just blame supermarkets, with the internet and growth of emerging economies such as Indian and China, the requirement to ship and protect goods long distance has grown significantly. Single use plastics in the form of packaging are the major destruction of the reputation of plastics industry and our children are being taught at school that all plastics are bad. I hear you say I am biased because I’m a designer in the plastics industry. Well, an underground plastic waste water pipe can last up to 50 years and is more durable than the old cast iron pipes, laptops are durable and last several years. So why is it over the last decade have we seen an increase of plastics waste – its simple – irresponsible design and use of plastics without any consideration to sustainability. When you design a product it should be considered “cradle to grave”.

The Waste Hierarchy was introduced by the European Union (EU) via the Waste Framework Directive. In the UK the requirements of this directive were implemented within the Waste Regulations 2011. The origin of The Waste Hierarchy can be found as far back as 1975 which was essentially a simple list. This was later modified in 1979 when Ad Lansink, a Dutch politician proposed it should be arranged in a ladder format with the most desirable at the top and least desirable at the bottom.

Reduce

The “Reduce” stage of the waste hierarchy focuses on lowering the amount of waste generated at its source. It is considered the most critical and impactful step because it prevents waste from being created in the first place, which has a cascading positive effect on resource conservation, energy use, and environmental health. Reduction means actively choosing to consume less, use resources more efficiently, and design products with a longer lifespan or with eventual recycling or reuse in mind.

The concept encourages individuals and businesses to rethink consumption habits and production processes. This includes practices like designing products that require fewer raw materials, creating items that are easier to repair, reuse, or recycle, and adopting consumption habits that emphasize quality over quantity. By doing so, the demand for new raw materials decreases, which in turn reduces the strain on natural ecosystems, cuts down pollution, and lessens greenhouse gas emissions associated with production and disposal.

“Rota Design use Engineering Simulation (FEA – Finite Element Analysis) to optimise products in a virtual environment to minimise usage”

In essence, reducing waste isn’t only about reducing physical rubbish; it’s also about reducing the associated environmental and economic costs of production and disposal. This is why “Reduce” is placed at the very top of the waste hierarchy—preventing waste at its source is the most effective way to manage waste sustainably.

Reuse

The “Reuse” stage in the waste hierarchy emphasises finding ways to extend the life of products and materials by using them again, either for their original purpose or for a new one. Reusing is a highly effective way to reduce waste because it keeps items in circulation longer, delaying or even eliminating the need for disposal and minimising the demand for new resources. Unlike recycling, which often involves breaking down materials and consuming additional energy, reusing preserves the item’s form and function, making it an even more sustainable option.

The concept of reuse encourages both individuals and businesses to consider how products can be given a second life. This can take many forms, such as:

• Repairing damaged items so they can continue to be used.
• Repurposing products, such as turning glass jars into storage containers or using worn clothing as cleaning rags.
• Sharing and donating, allowing items to be passed on to others who can use them.
• Refilling products, as seen with refillable water bottles or containers, to reduce single-use packaging.

By reusing, we conserve resources, reduce energy use, and cut down on the waste that ends up in landfills or incineration. Additionally, reuse helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing, transporting, and disposing of new items. This stage is crucial in the waste hierarchy because it promotes a circular economy, where materials and products are kept in use as long as possible, making it a sustainable alternative to the traditional “take-make-dispose” model.

Recycle

The “Recycle” stage in the waste hierarchy is focused on processing used materials to create new products, thereby keeping resources in circulation and reducing the need for raw material extraction. Recycling is less effective than reducing or reusing but still plays a vital role in managing waste sustainably. By converting waste into reusable raw materials, recycling reduces landfill use, saves energy, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing new materials.

The recycling process generally involves:

1. Collecting and sorting waste into different types of materials (like plastics, metals, paper, and glass).
2. Cleaning and processing these materials to prepare them for recycling.
3. Manufacturing new products from recycled materials, reducing the need for virgin resources.

Effective recycling depends on a well-organized system and the correct sorting of materials by consumers and waste management facilities. Not all materials are equally recyclable, and some, like certain plastics, degrade in quality with each recycling cycle. This means that while recycling is beneficial, it’s not a perfect solution, as it can only be repeated a limited number of times for certain materials.

Some plastics that can be recycled include Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyamide (PA) etc.

Despite its limitations, recycling is critical because it diverts significant amounts of waste from landfills, conserves natural resources like timber, water, and minerals, and requires less energy than producing goods from raw materials. It also supports a circular economy, where products are continuously cycled through production and use, helping to reduce the overall environmental impact of manufacturing and waste disposal.

Recover

The Recover stage involves extracting energy or materials from waste that would otherwise go to a landfill. Recovery techniques include:

• Energy recovery, where waste materials are converted into energy, such as through incineration to produce heat or electricity.
• Material recovery, where specific components are extracted from waste and used in other applications.

Energy recovery from waste can reduce reliance on fossil fuels and help generate power, though it should be used as a last resort due to potential emissions and energy costs. Material recovery can also help to reclaim valuable metals or chemicals from electronic waste, batteries, and other complex items that are hard to recycle fully.

The Repair/Recover stage is essential to the waste hierarchy because it ensures that even items at the end of their useful life are not immediately discarded. By maximizing every item’s usefulness and minimizing final waste, repair and recovery contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy and help reduce the burden on landfills and the environment.

Landfill

The “Landfill” stage is at the very bottom of the waste hierarchy and represents the least desirable option for managing waste. When waste reaches the landfill stage, it means all previous options—reducing, reusing, recycling, repairing, and recovering—have been exhausted or deemed impractical. Landfills are essentially disposal sites where waste is buried and managed to minimise environmental impact, though they still pose significant challenges and risks to ecosystems and human health.

Why Landfill Is the Last Resort

Landfilling waste is unsustainable and environmentally damaging for several reasons:

• Resource Loss: Landfilling permanently removes materials from the production cycle, wasting resources that could potentially be recycled, reused, or recovered.
• Pollution and Toxicity: As waste decomposes, it can release harmful chemicals and toxins into the surrounding soil and water. Plastics, heavy metals, and chemicals in consumer products may leach into groundwater, polluting drinking water sources and ecosystems.
• Methane Emissions: Organic waste, such as food scraps, decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen) in landfills, producing methane—a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change.
• Space and Land Use: Landfills take up large amounts of land, which could otherwise be used for natural habitats, agriculture, or urban development. As populations grow, finding new landfill sites becomes increasingly difficult.

Landfill Management and Mitigation

To minimise the impact of landfills, modern waste management practices include measures like:

• Lining and covering landfills to prevent leachate (toxic liquid from waste) from contaminating soil and water.
• Capturing landfill gas to convert methane into energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and producing a secondary benefit from waste.
• Monitoring and regulating landfills to ensure environmental standards are met and to minimize risks to human health.

Why Landfill is Necessary but Minimisable

While landfills are necessary for certain types of waste that cannot be reused, recycled, or recovered, the goal is to minimize reliance on them. Effective waste management strategies prioritize every other stage of the hierarchy before landfill, aiming to divert as much waste as possible. The less waste sent to landfills, the lower the environmental burden, and the closer we move toward a sustainable, circular economy.

In summary, landfills are the least favorable option due to their environmental impacts, but they remain necessary for residual waste that cannot be otherwise managed. Reducing reliance on landfills by maximizing all other stages of the waste hierarchy is essential for long-term sustainability.

Conclusion

Not all plastics are bad. In fact when used correctly they can be more durable and cost effective than alternative options. At Rota Design we give consideration to sustainability and have worked on several projects including bio-polymers, compostable polymers and PCR (post consumer recycle content). Recent developments in industry are improving the variability and quality of polymers with recycled content.

Optimisation of plastic use can be achieved by using our Engineering Simulation Tools (Finite Element Analysis – FEA) where we can load a product in a virtual environment and predict the short and long term performance of the product.

Contact Rota Design to discuss how we can either optimise your existing product or help you design a sustainable product for the future.