Recyclable plastics without absorption in the recycling market: an overview of the (non) circular economy of plastics and the contributions of design

Abstract

Plastic products are present in practically all human activities, including clothing, construction, and hospital products, among others. In parallel with its growing production, issues related to waste management have also increased to the point of becoming a priority for international organizations, governments, and society. However, although much progress has been made, the plastics chain, for the most part, is still linear, that is, waste is not correctly collected and reallocated in the production process, more than that, many plastic products are not even thought of and designed to be recycled. Therefore, before even presenting practical solutions, it is necessary to know the scale of the problem and its impacts. To this end, the objective of the article is to carry out qualitative and quantitative research on the circular economy market for plastics in Brazil, with emphasis on those products that are not absorbed by recyclers, analyzing their reasons and the prospects of this market.