Recycling of bioplastic waste: A review

Replacing conventional plastics with bioplastics, i.e., plastics that are bioderived and/or biodegradable, does not necessarily solve the issues of resource depletion and plastic waste accumulation. To come to a truly sustainable plastics economy, the growing bioplastics production must be paralleled with effective end-of-life strategies for bioplastic waste, which is essential for all bioplastics, regardless of their biodegradability. While there is no doubt on the importance to recycle biobased non-biodegradable bioplastics such as bio-polyethylene terephthalate (bioPET), bio-polyethylene (bioPE), and bio-polypropylene (bioPP), the scenario is not as clear for biodegradable bioplastics, for which biodegradation is often seen as the only acceptable end-of-life option. However, biodegradation is normally not aimed at recovering plastic materials or monomers to be reintroduced in the life cycle of plastic products, while this is specifically the aim of other types of recycling options, such as mechanical and chemical recycling, which address both waste management and primary resource preservation. Hence, since bioplastics production is growing and such materials will coexist with conventional plastics for decades to come, it is vital to find the best end-of-life pathways for each of the most common bioplastics.