Who Are the Plastic Recycling Champions?

Sparked by a visit to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, I shared with PlasticsToday readers the first article in a two-part series on the global plastics recycling issue, Which Consumers are Leading the Recycling Charge?

I covered the generational gaps in recycling beliefs and practices, and reviewed recycling confusion each generation is experiencing.

In this report I review the countries, people, and businesses working to make a difference. We start from the top down identifying the countries boasting exemplary recycling infrastructure.

Countries leading the recycling charge.

The country with the most lauded recycling system has long been Germany, with a recycling rate of 45%. Germans use six different color-coded recycling bins: yellow for plastics, blue for paper and cardboard, white for clear glass, brown for colored glass, green for green glass, and gray for food and organic waste. Many Germans claim to be passionately loyal to the system. This may be due in part to the fines one can receive by putting an item in the wrong bin, for example a pizza box in the blue bin instead of the gray.

But is this true? Let’s conduct a reality check.

According to a recent report, Germany’s reputation as the world’s recycling leader went unchecked for a long time, until researchers published a surprising report that discovered: “a staggering amount of the country’s recyclables don’t actually end up where people think. Instead, most of it is incinerated in Germany or shipped abroad to poorer countries, where it’s sometimes dumped or burned illegally.”

However, it’s another European country that emerged as the reigning recycling infrastructure hero: Sweden.

Sweden’s game-changing sorting technology.

Sweden recently took over first place with the launch of a state-of-the-art plant for plastic sorting and recycling — the largest in the world. Launched in 2023, Site Zero can sort up to 200,000 tons of plastic packaging a year, more than any other sorting facility. The facility can process up to 12 different types of plastic and has found markets for all the recycled materials. In fact, the new plant can send 95% of its packaging for recycling, dramatically minimizing the amount that is incinerated.

Let’s take a closer look.

Site Zero, Sweden's mega-recycling site. SVENSK PLASTÅTERVINNING

Although this new plant has been called a game changer, according to Mattias Philipsson, CEO of Sweden Plastic Recycling and one of the supporters of Site Zero (which is funded through a large portion of the Swedish business community, plus the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency), “Most plastics are still incinerated because they haven’t been sorted by households.”

While Sweden seems to have found a winning sorting solution with help from the country’s businesses and the government, it seems they still have work to do with consumers.

Other countries with favorable recycling rates are Austria, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Wales. Japan requires residents to wash items, remove labels, and fold cartons, and waste must be labeled so that individuals are held accountable.

Next we identify the influencers making a difference.

MATT CARDY/GETTY IMAGES

Notable eco-conscious influencers aka “Greenfluencers”.

Called “Greenfluencers,” eco-conscious influencers are making a difference, particularly with younger generations who get the bulk of their information from social media.

A 2024 study on the power of social media influencers commented: “In recent years, influencer marketing has garnered significant attention from both scholars and practitioners. Sustainable brands have also started to leverage this trend by identifying relevant influencers to endorse their brands, attract consumers’ interest, and expand their social media presence. What is more, influencers with their credibility and large numbers of followers [can] effectively communicate sustainability to a broad audience, making it more accessible and approachable.”

One of the biggest names in the recycling world is MrBeast, aka James Stephen Donaldson. Donaldson enjoys worldwide acclaim for accomplishments that include founding Team Seas, an international effort that funded the removal of more than 33 million pounds of ocean waste from beaches in 63 countries, with numbers increasing daily.

Social media platforms like Instagram are also making an impact on plastic waste by sharing innovations that hold great promise for recycling. For instance, Zanna Van Dilk in the United Kingdom launched the country’s first premium swimwear line “Stay Wild Swim,” made from regenerated ocean plastic.

With a projected 4.4 billion people using social media by 2025, the importance of Greenfleuncers using their vast audience to help move the needle in this category should not be overlooked.

Despite influencers’ best efforts, infrastructure issues continue to be problematic.

Making recycling circular.

According to Columbia Climate School, Americans dutifully place recyclable items in the recycle bin daily, but only 9% of plastic is actually recycled. In fact, the National Academy of Sciences reports that the US alone contributes between 8 and 11 million tons of plastic waste into the ocean each year.

So how do we truly bring about change?

CHAVAPONG PRATEEP NA THALANG/ISTOCK VIA GETTY IMAGES

Expansion of the circular economy may present the most viable solution. However, the lack of current widespread infrastructure poses a problem. Nevertheless, there are signs of progress.

Here are examples:

The company is a great example of committing to a circular plastic model.

In the US, the government continues to issue legislative bills designed to address the problem of plastic waste, such as the EPA's National Recycling Strategy. These are good intentions, but are government agencies really the solution? I’d rather place my money on innovations like we see in Sweden.

These are all promising advances, but when will we see real progress in the US? Stay tuned.