Designing Better Plastic Management Processes Through a Systems Approach

Plastics are widely used for their affordability and versatility across many consumer and industrial applications. However, the end-of-life (EoL) management stage can often lead to releasing hazardous chemical additives and degradation products into the environment. The increasing demand for plastics is expected to increase the frequency of material releases throughout the plastic EoL management activities, creating a challenge for policymakers, including ensuring proper material segregation and disposal management and increasing recycling efficiency and material reuse. This research designed a Python-based EoL plastic management tool to support decision-makers in analyzing the holistic impacts of potential plastic waste management policies. The constructed tool was developed to reduce the complexity of material flow analysis calculations, estimating material releases, and environmental impacts. The utility of the tool was tested through the hypothetical nationwide adoption of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program. The decision-making capability of the tool can facilitate the prediction of long-term outcomes, offering technical knowledge and insight for policymakers seeking to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution.