Article - Plastics recycling and waste management in the US, Quản lý và tái chế nhựa ở Hoa Kỳ (Vietsub)

Resources, Conservation and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263
www.elsevier.com/locate/resconrec
Plastics recycling and waste management in the
US
P.M. Subramanian *
S.P.M. Technologies, 110 Cameron Drie, Hockessin, DE 19707, USA
Abstract
The increasing awareness of the environment has contributed to concerns regarding our
life styles and our indiscriminate disposal of wastes. During the last decade, we have been
trying to address this complex problem, more aggressively. Discussed here briefly, are our
efforts in the United States in addressing the issue of solid wastes and in particular, plastic
wastes. These efforts have begun to show promising results. The municipal solid waste
(MSW) produced annually, has begun to decrease, e.g. from 211.5 million tons in 1995 to
209.7 million tons in 1996. Recycling rates and composting rates are increasing. Disposal in
landfills is decreasing (from 60.9 to 55.5% in 1996). Waste disposal by combustion is also
increasing. This is primarily due to the increased efficiencies of the new incinerators and their
ability for the removal of particulates and harmful gases. Plastics are a small but a significant
component of the waste stream. It is encouraging to note that the amount of plastics being
recycled has grown significantly. In 1997, about 317 million kg of high density polyethylene
(HDPE) bottles and 294 million kg of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles were
recycled. Recycling of durable goods, such as automotive parts, carpets, electronic and
appliance housings and parts are being explored. Environmental compatibility and recyclability
are being considered during the designing of new parts. Life cycle analyses and
management are also being studied as tools for decision making. © 2000 ACEEE Published
by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Environment; Plastics recycling; Waste management; Municipal waste; Integrated waste
management; Waste-to-energy; Incineration; Landfill; Life cycle analysis
* Tel.: +1-302-2394953; fax: +1-302-2390444.
0921-3449/00/$ - see front matter © 2000 ACEEE Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S0921-3449(99)00049-X

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P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263
1. Introduction
The pursuit of a higher quality of life is a continuing goal for the people of this
world. This has contributed to the increased consumption of goods and services. A
consequence of such consumption is the production of increased pollution and large
amounts of wastes. The goal of any sustainable growth should be that the efficiency
of energy utilization in every step of the system, from the production of the goods
to the disposal of the wastes, be maximized. The interdependence of each of these
steps on the others in the total chain, necessitates that we address the problems, in
totality. This is an enormous and complex task. In this talk, we will focus only on
the solid wastes produced and its management, and specially discuss plastics in the
solid waste stream, in the United States. An integrated waste management approach
will be considered involving efficient use of materials, recycling and
disposal.
2. Municipal solid waste (MSW)
Most of the consumer generated solid wastes, as well as a significant part of the
industrially produced wastes in this country, are disposed of by landfilling. However,
during the last decade, our environmental awareness has increased, questions
have been raised regarding the viability of such indiscriminate disposal practices. As
a result, substantial progress has been made in better management of the waste
streams and more efficient utilization of the land resources. The total MSW
produced in the US has declined. Per capita generation of such wastes has also
declined and recycling and composting activities have grown (Table 1). The
quantities of discarded packaging and durable goods have been reduced (Table 2)
[1]. Significant amounts of wastes are being recycled and/or composted (Table 3).
Disposal of solid wastes by combustion has also increased. This is the result of the
greater efficiencies of the newer waste-to-energy (WTE) plants which are engineered
for complete combustion of the organic wastes and capture and removal of noxious
gases and particles. The APC [2] Dinger [3], Greenberg [4] and Porter [5] have
provided several overviews of the solid waste picture. The US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)s most recent figures [6] show that both the total and per
capita waste generation rates have actually declined. US EPA is predicting a
Table 1
Municipal solid waste in the US
1993 1994 1995 1996
Total MSW (million tons) 206
209
211.5 209.7
Per capita generation (kg) 2.0 2.0
2.0
1.95
Per capita discards (kg) 1.59 1.54 1.49 1.45
Recovery–recycling, composting (%)
21 24 26
27

P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263 255
Table 2
Composition of materials discarded in the MSW*
Weight (%) 1995
1996
Paper and paper products
31.3 31.1
Glass 6.2
6.0
Metals
Ferrous
4.7 4.8
Aluminum
1.2 1.3
Other non-ferrous 0.3
0.3
Total metals
6.3
6.4
Plastics
11.5
12.3
Rubber and leather 3.5
3.7
Textiles 4.2
4.4
Wood
6.4
6.8
Other
1.9
1.9
Food wastes 13.6
14.0
Yard trimmings
13.3
11.3
Miscellaneous inorganic wastes
2.0 2.1
* Discarded after recovery by recycling, composting.
relatively stable per capita waste generation rate through the year 2000 as waste
reduction efforts continue to have an effect [2].
Today, over 19 000 communities are involved in some form of recycling. A total
78% of the US population have access to recycling programs [3].
Rathje [7,8] and others [2] point out that contrary to popular belief, plastics are
not the most prevalent material in landfills — paper and paper products account
for the largest percentage of a landfill’s contents. Food items and yard wastes are
the next largest components. Among the other individual components plastics
constitute the largest fraction (Table 2).
The amounts of materials disposed in landfills, recycled or composted or disposed
by combustion are given in Table 3.
Table 3
Management of MSW in the US
1988 1990
1994 1996
Landfill (%)
Recycling/composting (%)
Combustion (%)
60.9 55.5
13 17 23.6 27.3
15.5
17.2

256
P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263
3. Landfills
As shown in Table 3, most of the waste products are being disposed of by
landfilling. During the 1980s, there was a perceived crisis over a lack of landfill
space which led to fears that America would soon run out of room for its garbage.
Images of garbage barges floating up and down our coasts were ingrained into our
minds. While it is true that there were some localized landfill shortages in the 1980s,
a shortage never occurred, nationwide. While the total number of landfills is
decreasing, total landfill capacity is actually steadily increasing.
Between 1990 and 1996, there has been a 17% decrease in waste being landfilled.
National recovery levels reached 27% in 1996 and landfilled wastes declined from
83% of all MSW in 1986 to 55.4% in 1996. It has been calculated that at the current
rate of waste generation, all of America’s garbage for the next 1000 years will fit
into a single landfill measuring 120 feet deep and 44 miles square [2].
Modern landfills are designed to safely entomb wastes so that their uncontrolled
degradation does not endanger groundwater with pollutants. Such landfills could,
in many cases, be used after they are capped, to construct parks, golf courses and
even airports.
4. Plastics and plastic wastes
Plastics have become an integral part of our lives. The amounts of plastics
consumed annually have been growing steadily (Table 4). Its low density, strength,
user-friendly design and fabrication capabilities and low cost, are the drivers to
such growth. Besides its wide use in packaging, automotive and industrial applications,
they are extensively used in medical delivery systems, artificial implants and
other healthcare applications, water desalination and removal of bacteria etc. Usage
of plastics, in preservation and distribution of food, housing and appliances are too
many to mention here. Specially designed plastics, have been an integral part of the
communication and electronics industry — be it in the manufacturing of chips or
printed circuit boards, or housings for computers. They are also integral compo-
Table 4
Growth of plastics in MSW
Year Plastics in MSW (%)
1960 0.5
1970 2.6
1980 5.0
1990 9.8
1992 10.6
1994 11.2
1995
1996
11.5
12.3

P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263 257
Table 5
Plastics in municipal solid waste (1996, 1000 tons)
Durable goods
6260
Non-durable goods 5350
Bags, sacks and wraps
3220
Soft drinks, milk etc. containers
Other containers
1350
1280
nents in the preparation and delivery of alternative energy systems such as fuel cells,
batteries and even solar power.
Given such pervasiveness, it is little wonder that plastics contribute to an
increasing volume in the solid waste stream. In the MSW, in 1996, plastics
amounted to about 12%, by weight [1]. Table 5 describes the amounts of plastics
(thousand tons) in the solid waste.
The waste plastics collected from the solid wastes stream is a contaminated,
assorted mixture of a variety of plastics. This makes their identification, separation
and purification, very challenging.
In the plastics waste stream, polyethylene forms the largest fraction, which is
followed by PET. Lesser amounts of a variety of other plastics can also be found
in the plastics waste stream (Table 6).
5. Integrated plastics waste management
Any attempt to manage such large quantities of a diverse, contaminated mixture
of plastics in an energy efficient and environmentally benign manner, needs to be
considered using an integrated approach. This would require that we examine
critically the various steps in the life of the plastics such as the raw materials for
their manufacture, the manufacturing processes, design and fabrication of the
finished products, possible reuse of those items, and the proper disposal of the
wastes etc., in totality.
Such an integrated waste management concept comprises of
Source reduction,
reuse,
recycling,
Table 6
Types and quantities of plastics in municipal solid waste (1000 tons)
Polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) 1700
High density polyethylene (HDPE) 4120
Low density polyethylene (LDPE/HDPE)
5010
Polypropylene (PP) 2580
Polystyrene (PS)
Other
1990
3130

258
P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263
landfill,
waste-to-energy conversion
6. Source reduction–conserving energy
It has been reported that only about 4% of the United States energy consumption
are used in the production of all plastics [2]. Franklin Associates Ltd., a leading
practitioner in life cycle studies, has conducted research to compare the life cycle
energy impact of plastics and alternative materials. One study compared the energy
required to manufacture, use and dispose of common packaging items with the
most likely non-plastic alternatives. Franklin found that by using plastic packaging,
product manufacturers save enough energy each year to power a city of 1 million
homes for roughly 3.5 years [2]. Rathje [9] has analyzed, carrying capacity ratios of
different packaging materials. Glass has a value of 1.9 indicating that to carry 1.9
ounce of juice, one needs 1 ounce of glass. Plastics has a value of 34 meaning that
34 ounces of juice could be carried in 1 ounce of plastic. Paper has a value of 6.9
and for aluminum the value is 21.8.
7. Source reduction–efficient use
An important aspect of the integrated waste management approach is to minimize
the amount of plastics used. By employing improved manufacturing technologies,
wastes produced during manufacturing processes have been reduced
significantly, by the resin manufacturers and converters. Parts are being designed to
have adequate strength, with less weight. Efforts are made to reduce the number of
different types of plastics in any given assembly. Recycled plastics are often
considered as raw materials for manufacture of a variety of parts, particularly in
the automotive and industrial areas.
Since 1977, the weight of the 2-l plastic soft drink bottle has been reduced from
68 to 51 g, a 25% reduction. That eliminates the need for more than 206 million
pounds of PET each year. The 1-gallon plastic milk jug has undergone an even
greater reduction, weighing 30% less than it did 20 years ago. For several applications,
milk and several juices are being packaged in recyclable pouches, which
weigh substantially less than the rigid bottles. The lower weights, besides reducing
the amounts of wastes produced, reduce the costs associated with freight and
handling, as well.
The durability of plastics often contributes to their reuse in a variety of
secondary applications. According to Duranceau [10], a large number of automotive
parts are recovered from discarded vehicles or vehicles involved in an accident.
These are dismantled, repaired and reused in many automotive repairs. These
recovered plastic parts contribute to a large reduction in the potential amounts of
virgin plastic materials that would have been required otherwise.

P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263 259
8. Recycling of plastics
Plastic recycling has grown appreciably during the last few years. Recycling of
rigid plastic containers has grown to about 1.4 billion pounds — 704 million
pounds of waste HDPE bottles and 649 million pounds of waste PET bottles, in
1997 (Table 7). At present, there are more than 1700 businesses handling and
reclaiming post-consumer plastics. A wide variety of new products, such as singleuse
cameras, park benches, sweaters, jeans, videocassettes, detergent bottles and
toys are being made with or packaged in post-consumer recycled plastics. More
than 1500 commercially available products are listed in the Recycled Plastic
Products Source Book published by the APC.
The production and consumption of virgin plastic resins have been increasing
steadily. Toloken [11] indicates that the amount of plastics recycled have also
increased simultaneously (4% in 1997), however, the recycling rate has declined.
This is due to the weaker market demand for recycled resins in an economy where
the virgin resins are priced very low — a situation compounded by the low energy
costs and the poor global economy, currently (1999).
8.1. Durable plastics recycling
Durable plastics, as opposed to most packaging and convenience goods which
are discarded after a single use, tend to have a life of 3 or more years. Automobiles,
computers, household appliances, carpets and fabrics fall into this category. The
use of plastics in durable applications continues to grow as design engineers,
manufacturers and consumers continue to rely on its performance, low cost and
design benefits. The recovery of plastics from such durable goods is complex. Often,
they are integrated with several other plastic and non-plastic components. Their
separation, recovery and purification require several steps and generally, the
volumes of such materials available for recovery are limited. Nevertheless, several
efforts are under way exploring the recycling of such products after their lifetime.
Manufacturers of such products have committed to use recycled materials,
wherever possible, as a part of their total material needs. Business equipment and
computer manufacturers, who are currently recovering precious metals from such
Table 7
Plastics bottle recycling rates
Plastic bottle (million kg) 1996 1997
Change (%)
PET soft drink 240 246 2.7
PET custom
46
48
3
Total PET bottles 286
295 2.8
HDPE natural
183 188
2.7
HDPE pigmented 115
132 14.9
Total HDPE bottles 297 319
7.4
All plastic bottles 593
617
4.1

260
P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263
products, are testing the recovery of plastic housings and other components from
them. Automotive companies have major efforts in recycling of plastic components
and try to use materials having recycled plastics content.
In the US, carpets consume over 2 billion pounds of polymers, mostly nylon 66,
nylon 6 or polyesters. Carpet constructions consist of about 50% fibers or face yarn.
The backing of the carpets is invariably polypropylene, attached to a layer of highly
filled SBR latex. Recovery of the face fiber in a pure form, freed from the backing
and the fillers etc., is a complex process. Carpet manufacturers are introducing new
technology to recover such carpet fibers and underlay, including preparation of
pure monomers and intermediates.
Several studies and pilot programs in durables recycling are under way. The
objective of these projects is a comprehensive investigation of the technical,
economic and ecological aspects of such recycling. Automotive shredder residue
(ASR), a major, commingled mixture of waste products from end-of-life (EOL)
automobiles is a subject of extensive investigation regarding its potential use for
impact modification of concrete, pyrolysis, or as a fuel in energy plants. Economic
modeling has complemented much of this experimental research. They include
assessment of system economies for today’s automobile recycling infrastructure and
project the impact of different material and energy recovery options [2].
8.2. Design for recycling
Until recently, very little attention had been paid to make components and
systems that lend themselves to facile recycling at the end of their use. Combinations
of plastic, paper, metal and natural products were used in combination
without any consideration of the potential difficulties in recycling. For example, the
soft drink PET bottle had a polyethylene bottom, polypropylene or aluminum cap
and paper labels. Adhesives used in the assembly of the products often, prevent
easy separation of attached plastic parts. With the increasing awareness for
potential recyclability, designers are exploring new designs and material combinations.
New simplified soft drink bottle constructions, automotive fascias, bumpers
and instrumental panels are examples of such efforts.
8.3. Adanced recycling technologies
Another approach to the recycling of plastics wastes involves the generation of
monomers and building blocks in high purity, from the plastic wastes, enabling the
re-manufacture of the original or new plastics. Such novel recycling (e.g. glycolysis,
ammonolysis, pyrolysis, etc.) represents a significant technological advancement
that could supplement existing mechanical recycling techniques. These are often
called advanced recycling or feed-stock recycling or chemical recycling [2]. Commercial
size plants to make the respective monomers from polyesters and nylon
have been built or are under construction. While several technologies in these areas
have been developed, large scale adoptions depend upon their economic viability.

P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263 261
Table 8
Energy values of common materials
Material
BTU/pound
Plastics
Polyethylene
19 900
Polypropylene
19 850
Polystyrene
17 800
Rubber 17 800
Newspaper
8000
Leather 7200
Wood 6700
Average MSW
4500
Yard wastes
3000
Food wastes
2600
Fuel oil
20 900
Wyoming coal
9600
9. Energy recovery
Another important way to manage solid waste is to recover the energy value of
products after their useful life. One such method involves combustion of municipal
solid waste (MSW) or garbage in waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities. Modern energy
recovery facilities burn solid wastes in special combustion chambers, and use the
resulting heat energy to generate steam and electricity. This process can reduce the
volume of MSW by as much as 90%. Today, there are 114 energy recovery plants,
operating in 32 states throughout the United States, generating enough electricity to
meet the power needs of 1.2 million homes and businesses.
Boettcher [12] has pointed out that as plastics are generally derived from
petroleum or natural gas, they have stored energy values higher than any other
material commonly found in the waste stream. The energy values of several
common materials are given in Table 8.
Polyolefins commonly used in packaging can generate twice as much energy as
Wyoming coal and almost as much energy as fuel oil. When plastics are processed
in modern WTE facilities, they can help other wastes combust more completely,
leaving less ash for disposal. Several international and US studies, including a 1995
report completed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a
study sponsored by the US Conference of Mayors in 1989, have found that there
is no evidence to link the incineration of polyvinylchloride containing wastes with
increased dioxin emissions. Such combustion processes could be a way of disposing
the large volumes of contaminated automotive shredder residues, safely [2].
In 1997, there were 112 energy recovery facilities operating in 31 states throughout
the United States with a design capacity of nearly 101 500 tons per day [2].

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9.1. Life cycle analysis and management
During the last 20 years, public opinion and environmental directives from
governments have led to the evolution of methodologies to measure an industrial
system’s environmental impact. Lowman, in his presentation at an automobile
industry conference [13] mentions that life cycle analysis (LCA) has emerged as a
tool in the development of public policy and in design decisions. It analyzes
multiple attributes of a product or system from cradle to grave. It also has the
unique ability to create a quantitative inventory listing of all process inputs and
outputs (including environmental emissions and energy resources) from which
tradeoff analyses can be made before making public policy decisions or large
investments in products, or research.
In the United States, where landfill space is actually increasing, the EPA is in an
information gathering stage, and is becoming more active in the area of life cycle
management (LCM).
10. Conclusion
The past decade has seen increased awareness of the environmental issues and
general support for exploration and implementation of methods and practices to
make our products and processes more environmentally benign. Consequentially,
substantial progress has been made in the areas of environmental management. In
the case of solid wastes including plastics, significant progress has been made in
reducing waste and increasing the quantities being recycled. Chemical recycling to
make monomers, in the case of nylon and polyesters, has been established and
disposal of very complex and contaminated mixtures of plastics by incineration has
been developed. While several new technologies have been developed, the amounts
of materials being recycled appear to have reached a plateau. In the absence of
additional legislative mandates, further progress in recycling of plastics might be
slower, given the relatively high costs of recycling, the low cost of energy, and the
low cost of landfilling. Yet, with a long-term perspective, greater dedication to
higher environmental quality and life cycle analysis of products, growth of plastics
and its recycling could become more important in the future.
Acknowledgements
Valuable discussions with Mr John McAuley of Montell and Dr Michael Fisher
of the American Plastics Council are hereby acknowledged.
References
[1] Franklin Associates Ltd. Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste: 1997 Update (Prepared for the
USEPA). Prairie Village, KS, 1998.

P.M. Subramanian / Resources, Conseration and Recycling 28 (2000) 253–263 263
[2] APC (American Plastics Council), 1998. (http://www.Plasticsresource.com/).
[3] Dinger PW. Recycling perspective — as packaging recovery rate’s slow, the new focus is durables
recycling. In: Modern Plastics Encyclopedia, vol. A 34, 1999.
[4] Greenberg EG. The solid waste: the once and future issue. In: Packaging Digest, 1998.
[5] Porter W. Waste prevention — is recycling enough? In: Speech during American Plastics Council,
Harper’s magazine Forum, 1998. (http:// www. Plasticsresource.com/topics/readingroom/speeches/
transcript – harper.html).
[6] US EPA Report. Characterization of Municipal Waste (MSW) in the United States, 1998.
(http://www.Plasticsresource.com/topics/disposal/backgrounders/disposal – backgrounder.html).
[7] Rathje W. The Garbage Project, University of Arizona, 1992.
[8] Rathje W, Murphy C. Five Major Myths about Garbage and Why They are Wrong. Smithsonian,
1992. (http://www.Plasticsresource.com/topics/disposal/articles/index.html).
[9] Rathje W. King of the Landfill Hill: Rathje Talks Trash (reported by Roger Renstrom). In: Plastics
News, 1999, p. 53.
[10] Duranceau C, Lindell T. Automotive Recycling as Reuse: Investigation to Establish the Contribu
tion of Reuse as Recycling. Society of Automotive Engineers Publication No. 1430, 1998.
[11] Toloken S. Plastic bottle recycling rate keeps sliding. In: Plastics News, August 24, 1998, p. 1.
[12] Boettcher F. Environmental compatibility of polymers in emerging technologies. In: Subramanian
PM, Andrews GD, editors. Plastics Recycling. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1992,
pp. 16–25.
[13] Lowman RW. Life cycle assessment and public policy development for the automotive industry. In:
Proceedings of the Total Life Cycle Conference and Exposition, Auburn Hill, MI, April 7–9, 1997.
(http://www.Plasticsresource.com/topics/readingroom/speeches/ica – speech.html/).
.

Trường đại học Khoa Học Tự Nhiên
Khoa Môi Trường
Lớp CMT 2010
Báo cáo chuyên đề - TÁI CHẾ VÀ TÁI SỬ DỤNG
CHẤT THẢI RẮN
Đề tài 09:
QUẢN LÝ VÀ TÁI CHẾ NHỰA Ở HOA KỲ
GVHD: TS. Tô Thị Hiền
Nhóm 17
1.Phan Ngọc Hậu 1022095
2. Lại Xuân Trường 1022328
3. Huỳnh Thị Thanh Xuân 1022364

NỘI DUNG
1. Giới thiệu chung
2. Hiện trạng xử lý chất thải rắn ở Hoa Kỳ
3. Nhựa và các chất thải từ nhựa
4. Quản lý tổng hợp các chất thải từ nhựa
5. Kết luận về quản lý và tái chế chất thải từ
nhựa ở Hoa Kỳ
6. Thực trạng quản lý và tái chế chất thải rắn
từ nhựa ở Việt nam

1. CÁC TỪ VIẾT TẮT
❖ MSW : Chất thải rắn đô thị
❖ EPA: Cơ quan bảo vệ môi trường của Mỹ
❖ ASME: Hiệp hội các kĩ sư cơ khí Mỹ
❖ PET: Polyethylene terephalate

1. GIỚI THIỆU CHUNG
Tiêu thụ hàng hóa và dịch vụ
Hệ quả
Cuộc sống chất
lượng cao
❖ SỬ DỤNG
HIỆU QUẢ???
❖ XỬ LÝ TỐI
ƯU???
PHƯƠNG
PHÁP QUẢN
LÝ CHẤT
THẢI HIỆU
QUẢ

2. HIỆN TRẠNG XỬ LÝ CHẤT THẢI RẮN Ở HOA KỲ
CHÔN LẤP
QUÁ TRÌNH
PHÁT TRIỂN
BỀN VỮNG &
NHẬN THỨC VỀ
MÔI TRƯỜNG
CHÔN LẤP - TÁI CHẾ/COMPOSTING - ĐỐT

2. HIỆN TRẠNG XỬ LÝ CHẤT THẢI RẮN Ở HOA KỲ
❖ Tổng lượng MSW ở Mỹ đã giảm
❖ Lượng chất thải bình quân đầu người giảm

1994
Quản lý MSW ở Mỹ
1996
15%
Chôn lấp
17%
24%
61%
Tái chế/compost
Đốt
27%
56%
❖Hoạt động tái chế và làm phân compost phát triển
❖Sử dụng hiệu quả hơn tài nguyên đất
❖Xử lý CTR bằng phương pháp đốt cũng tăng lên
Ngày nay, hơn 19000 tổ chức tham gia vào một số
chương trình tái chế và 78% dân số Mỹ tham gia vào
chương trình tái chế

3. NHỰA VÀ CÁC CHẤT THẢI RẮN TỪ NHỰA
ỨNG DỤNG RỘNG RÃI
CHI
PHÍ
THẤP
NHẸ
NHỰA
BỀN
GIA TĂNG CHẤT THẢI
15
% Nhựa trong MSW
ĐA
DẠNG
THIẾT KẾ
THÂN
THIỆN
10
9,8 10,6 11,2 11,5 12,3
5
0
0,5 2,6 5
1960 1970 1980 1990 1992 1994 1995 1996

3. NHỰA VÀ CÁC CHẤT THẢI RẮN TỪ NHỰA
Thành phần của các loại rác thải trong MSW
Khối lượng (%) 1995 1996
Giấy và các sản phẩm từ giấy 31.3 31.1
Thủy tinh 6.2 6.0
Tổng kim loại 6.3 6.4
Nhựa 11.5 12.3
Cao su và da 3.5 3.7
Dệt may 4.2 4.4
Gỗ 6.4 6.8
Khác 1.9 1.9
Thực phẩm 13.6 14.0
Rác sân vườn 13.3 11.3
Chất thải vô cơ khác 2.0 2.1
Theo Rathje, nhựa không phải là vật liệu phổ biến nhất ở
bãi chôn lấp mà là giấy và các sản phẩm từ giấy.

3. NHỰA VÀ CÁC CHẤT THẢI RẮN TỪ NHỰA
Nhựa được ứng dụng rộng rãi, vì vậy số lượng của các loại
nhựa cũng tương đối đa dạng.
Đồ thị dưới đây mô tả số lượng của các loại nhựa trong chất
thải rắn đô thị năm 1996
Nghìn tấn
7000
6260
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Nhựa bền
5350
Nhựa không
bền
3220
Túi, bao bì
1350 1280
Vỏ chai
nước giải
khát, sữa…
Các vỏ chai
khác

3. NHỰA VÀ CÁC CHẤT THẢI RẮN TỪ NHỰA
Xét về thành phần, nhựa làm từ polyethylen chiếm số lượng lớn
nhất trong dòng thải.
Polyethylen bao gồm PET, HDPE, LDPE
Nghìn tấn
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1700
4120
5010
2580
1990
3130
1000
0
PET HDPE LDPE PP PS Các loại
khác

4. QUẢN LÝ TỔNG HỢP CHẤT THẢI TỪ NHỰA
‣ Giảm thiểu
năng lượng
‣ Sử dụng
hiệu quả
năng lượng
đầu vào
GIẢM
THIỂU
TẠI
NGUỒN
TÁI
CHẾ
QUẢN
LÝ
TỔNG
HỢP
THU
HỒI
NĂNG
LƯỢNG
‣ Tái chế nhựa có
độ bền cao
‣ Cải tiến thiết kế
‣ Thay đổi công
nghệ

4. QUẢN LÝ TỔNG HỢP CHẤT THẢI TỪ NHỰA
1. Giảm thiểu tại nguồn
1.2. Giảm thiểu năng lượng
Franklin và các cộng sự - những người đi đầu trong nghiên cứu
vòng đời sản phẩm đã thực hiện một nghiên cứu so sánh năng
lượng trong sản xuất và sử dụng giữa nhựa và các vật liệu thay
thế khác
❖ 1 ounce thủy tinh đóng gói được 1.9 ounce nước trái cây
❖ 1 ounce giấy đóng gói được 6.9 ounce nước trái cây
❖ 1 ounce nhôm đóng gói được 21.8 ounce nước trái cây
❖ 1 ounce nhựa đóng gói được 34 ounce nước trái cây
→ Việc sử dụng túi nhựa sẽ tiết kiệm đủ năng lượng cho một
thành phố 1 triệu hộ dân trong suốt 3,5 năm

4. QUẢN LÝ TỔNG HỢP CHẤT THẢI TỪ NHỰA
1. Giảm thiểu tại nguồn
1.2. Sử dụng hiệu quả nguyên liệu đầu vào
Lượng chất thải từ nhựa phát sinh giảm đáng kể thông qua việc
xem xét và sử dụng hiểu quả nguồn nguyên liệu đầu vào
❖ Sử dụng các hạt nhựa tái chế thay cho các hạt nhựa thường
❖ Sản xuất các sản phẩm và linh kiện bền và nhẹ
Biểu hiện:
‣ Từ năm 1977, trọng lượng của chai nhựa đựng nước ngọt 2L
đã giảm từ 68 xuống 51 g, giảm 25% → Tiết kiệm được 206
triệu pounds PET/năm
‣ Các bình đựng sữa 1 gallon cũng giảm 30% về khối lượng so
với cách đây 20 năm
‣ Một số loại sữa và nước trái cây được đóng gói trong các túi
tái chế có khối lượng ít hơn so với các chai nhựa

4. QUẢN LÝ TỔNG HỢP CHẤT THẢI TỪ NHỰA
2. Tái chế
Năm 1997: tái chế khoảng 1.4 tỉ pound
‣ 704 triệu pound chai HDPE
‣ 649 triệu pound chai PET
Hiện nay:
‣ Hơn 1700 doanh nghiệp xử lý và tái chế nhựa đã qua sử dụng
‣ Hơn 1500 sản phẩm thương mại có nguồn gốc từ nhựa tái chế.

4. QUẢN LÝ TỔNG HỢP CHẤT THẢI TỪ NHỰA
2. Tái chế
Giấy
Kim
Loại
Kết hợp
VL mới
Nhựa
Sản
Phẩm
NL
khác
KHÓ KHĂN CHO TÁI CHẾ
Đơn giản
hóa SP
GIẢI PHÁP
THIẾT KẾ

4. QUẢN LÝ TỔNG HỢP CHẤT THẢI TỪ NHỰA
3. Thu hồi năng lượng
Phương pháp thực hiện: đốt trong các buồng đốt đặc biệt và sử dụng
năng lượng sinh ra trong quá trình để sản xuất điện
Ḣiệu quả: thu hồi 90 % từ MSW
Trong đó, nhựa có nguồn gốc dầu mỏ và khí tự nhiên cho hiệu quả thu
hồi cao nhất.

4. QUẢN LÝ TỔNG HỢP CHẤT THẢI TỪ NHỰA
3. Thu hồi năng lượng
❖ Năm 1992, có 112 cơ sở tái chế năng lượng hoạt
động trên 31 bang của Mỹ, với công suất thiết kế gần
101500 tấn/ngày.
❖ Năm 2000, có 114 nhà máy tái chế năng lượng ở 32
bang của Mỹ, năng lượng điện tạo ra đủ cung cấp
cho 1.2 triệu ngôi nhà và công ty.

5. KẾT LUẬN
Nhận thức về môi trường tăng
→Thực thi các phương án Quản lý tổng hợp CTR
‣ Giảm thiểu chất thải và tăng số lượng rác tái chế.
‣ Hoàn thiện và xử lý những hỗn hợp rất phức tạp, xử
lý chất thải dẻo bằng phương pháp đốt phát triển.
‣ Vật liệu được tái chế dường như đạt đến mức ổn định
Vấn đề đặt ra: Trong trường hợp không có các biện pháp
bổ sung, việc tái chế các loại nhựa sẽ bị chậm lai do chi phí
cho việc này cao hơn so với việc chôn lấp. Tuy nhiên, với
mục tiêu dài hạn là nâng cao chất lượng môi trường thì phân
tích vòng đời của sản phẩm, phát triển các loại nhựa và tái
chế chúng sẽ trở nên quan trọng hơn trong tương lai.

6. HIỆN TRẠNG VÀ GIẢI PHÁP CHO VẤN ĐỀ CHẤT
THẢI RẮN TỪ NHỰA Ở VIỆT NAM
Giải pháp:
❖ Quy hoạch quản lý CTR đồng bộ
❖ Công nghệ xử lý CTR hướng tới việc thân thiện
với môi trường, vận hành đơn giản, ít tốn kém,
phù hợp với điều kiện của Việt Nam và đảm bảo
tiêu chí tỷ lệ chôn lấp chỉ còn dưới 15%, tăng
cường tỷ lệ tái chế và tái sử dụng CTR.
❖ Tăng phí vệ sinh của các hộ gia đình
❖ Làm tốt công tác tuyên truyền vận động thông
qua chương trình giáo dục ở trường học và các
phương tiện thông tin đại chúng

6. HIỆN TRẠNG VÀ GIẢI PHÁP CHO VẤN ĐỀ CHẤT
THẢI RẮN TỪ NHỰA Ở VIỆT NAM
Việt Nam có hơn 2.000 doanh nghiệp hoạt động sản xuất, kinh
doanh trong lĩnh vực nhựa, với:
‣ Tốc độ tăng trưởng đạt 15 - 20%/năm
‣ Sản lượng tiêu thụ 22kg/người
→ Tính trung bình, tỷ lệ thành phần nilong, chất dẻo chiếm từ 6 –
16% lượng chất thải rắn đô thị
Phương pháp xử lý chủ yếu: phương pháp chôn lấp. Tỷ lệ tái chế
chỉ đạt khoảng 8÷12% CTRSH đô thị thu gom.
→ Việc áp dụng các phương pháp tích hợp trong quản lý chất thải
rắn nói chung và chất thải rắn từ nhựa nói riêng ở nước ta hiện tại
vẫn còn là vấn đề nan giải