CHEMICAL RECYCLING | INNOVATION
Despite pressures from outside the industry, the nascent chemical recycling sector has had successes in the past year. James Snodgrass reports on politics and projects
Chemical recyclers try to avoid obstacles
As the pressure to close the loop on plastic waste intensifies, the chemical recycling sector continues to evolve and grow. In the last year we have seen further development of pyrolytic and other technologies, and welcomed some progress in regulation but also seen an increasing hostility to the sector from environmentalists. US President Donald Trump announced in
February: “We’re going back to plastic straws”. And while his executive order – banning the enforced procurement of paper straws – may give some hope to one part of the plastics industry, his stance on chemical recycling is less clear. The plug was pulled in June on $375m allocated to Eastman Chemical for a molecular recycling project in Longview, Texas, although that was part of a move by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright that cancelled 24 awards issued by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. Analysis from Lux Research published in February suggests that Trump’s stance on immigration may have a negative impact on
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plastics recycling because low-paid immigrants account for some 40% of all workers involved in waste collection. The report by Anthony Schiavo said: “Don’t
expect Trump to save plastic pyrolysis. Plastic pyrolysis needs a few things to succeed: substan- tially increased supply of plastic waste, a regulatory environment that permits pyrolysis players to make claims about sustainability, and enough confidence in demand to make large investments in pyrolysis facilities. Trump has already taken concrete steps to crimp investment in waste infrastructure with the funding freeze, and his actions on immigration could further damage supply.” Schiavo said he thinks Trump is more open to dialogue with industry on regulation than his predecessor, Joe Biden, but it might go against his broad policy aims: “It’s hard to see recycling being a priority amid general anti-sustainability reactions.” If there is a chilling effect on development of the chemical recycling sector in the US, it is not apparent
July/August 2025 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 19
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