Recycling has always been promoted as a solution to our growing plastic waste problem. But now, a new study has revealed a hidden issue—recycling might actually be releasing huge amounts of microplastics into the environment.
Let’s break down what’s going on.
Recycling Isn’t as Clean as It Seems
Globally, only about 9% of plastic waste gets recycled. In the U.S., it’s even worse—just 5%. Most plastic ends up in landfills, gets burned, or pollutes natural spaces. But here’s the twist: even when plastic does make it to a recycling facility, that process might still harm the planet.
Researchers studied a state-of-the-art recycling plant where plastic is sorted, shredded, melted, and washed. The washing process, meant to clean the plastic, actually ends up shedding billions of tiny plastic fragments—called microplastics—into wastewater.
These microplastics are smaller than 5 millimeters, and many are invisible to the naked eye. The researchers found that even with filters in place, a single facility could release up to 3 million pounds of microplastics into the water each year. Without filters, that number jumps to 6.5 million pounds.
Most of the Plastic Is Tiny—and That’s a Big Problem
In the study, most of the microplastics found were really small—less than 10 microns (a micron is one-millionth of a meter). About 85% were under 5 microns. These particles are so tiny they can pass through standard filtration systems and possibly even into our drinking water or crops through irrigation.
And that’s just what researchers could measure. They only looked at particles down to 1.6 microns, meaning even smaller ones—like nanoplastics—could be slipping through undetected.
What Happens to This Wastewater?
It depends on the recycling plant. Some facilities treat their water before sending it off to city sewer systems. But not all are connected to municipal systems. That means some might be discharging microplastic-filled water straight into the ground or nearby bodies of water.
Even in top-tier facilities, there’s a risk of microplastic pollution. So it’s reasonable to worry about what’s happening at older or less-equipped plants.
It’s Not Just the Water—The Air Inside These Plants Is Also Full of Microplastics
The study also found high levels of airborne microplastics inside the facility, which workers could be breathing in. And that’s a big concern. Past research has shown that inhaling plastic particles can be harmful to lung cells and might even lead to chronic conditions in some workers.
On top of that, recycled plastic pellets often carry toxic chemicals, including those that mess with hormone systems.
So, Is Recycling Making Things Worse?
That’s the tough part. In some ways, yes—recycling can break plastic into even smaller, harder-to-capture particles. And plastic isn’t infinitely recyclable. It degrades over time, becoming less useful and harder to reuse. Complex products like food pouches and multi-layered packaging are especially difficult to process.
Plus, much of the plastic that isn’t easily recycled gets shipped off to poorer countries, where it might be burned in open pits—sending even more toxic chemicals into the air.
Should We Stop Recycling?
Not necessarily. The researchers behind the study say this isn’t a call to give up on recycling. Instead, it’s a call to do it better. Filtration systems do help, cutting microplastic emissions in half at the plant studied. But the real solution, experts say, is to make less plastic in the first place.
“Plastics recycling in its traditional form has some pretty serious problems,” said Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics. “This is yet another reason to do everything humanly possible to avoid purchasing plastics.”
Final Thoughts
Recycling might not be the clean fix we hoped for—but it’s still part of the solution. The real key is reducing how much plastic we produce and use. Less plastic means less waste, fewer microplastics, and a healthier planet for all of us.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772416623000803
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