Recycling process makes plastics even more ‘poisonous’ to people, according to report by Greenpeace
Companies often promote the use of recycled plastics as a means to save the environment, but the ‘eco-friendly’ initiative could be harmful to human health.
Some plastics contain toxic chemicals, like manmade bisphenol (BPA), and during the blanket recycling process, these hazardous chemicals are transferred into the recycled material used to make new bottles, cartons and other containers.
These toxins can cause liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility and cancer.
The warning comes from a report by Greenpeace, a non-profit that campaigns to protect the environment, which has been touting a plastic-free world for at least seven years.
Plastics project leader at Greenpeace Kate Melges told DailyMail.com that the best alternative is ‘moving away from single-use plastics’ and towards other materials made from paper, beeswax or bamboo.
Some plastics contain toxic chemicals, like manmade bisphenol (BPA), and during the blanket recycling process, these hazardous chemicals are transferred into the recycled material used to make new bottles.
Greenpeace’s report, ‘Forever Toxic: The Science of health threats from plastic recycling,’ highlights ‘three poisonous pathways for recycled plastics’ that accumulate toxic chemicals.
The first is ‘direct contamination from toxic chemicals in virgin plastic.’
‘The plastics are often made from toxic chemicals, then are recycled, and it transfers into the recycled plastics,’ said Melges.
The second pathway is toxic substances leaching into plastic waste.
‘That can be containers for pesticides, cleaning solvents, motor oil,’ Melges said. ‘All those things that are not super safe for human health can enter the recycling chain, contaminating other types of plastic like the recycled material used to make milk cartons.’
The last toxic pathway harms staff working at recycling plants.
‘Plastics are heated in the recycling process. This can create new toxic chemicals, which are like brominated dioxins,’ said Melges.
She continued to explain that all plastics are melted down and chopped into little pieces, turned into pellets, then heated and cooled into new containers.
More than 98 percent of plastics are produced from fossil carbon- coal, oil and gas.
More than 98 percent of plastics are produced from fossil carbon- coal, oil and gas. There are also more than 3,200 toxic chemicals mixed in the process. These toxins can cause liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility and cancer.
The synthetic material is then combined with ‘additional chemicals that are incorporated into polymers to convey specific properties such as color, flexibility, stability, water repellency, flame retardation, and ultraviolet resistance,’ according to a 2023 study
The synthetic material is then combined with ‘additional chemicals that are incorporated into polymers to convey specific properties such as color, flexibility, stability, water repellency, flame retardation, and ultraviolet resistance,’ according to a 2023 study from a team of international scientists led