Recovery of plastic from mixed waste boosts recycling rates but affects quality

You have full access to this article via your institution. Source research: Schmuck, A. et al . Analysis of trade-offs of post-sorting plastic packaging. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10606-4 (2026) . Messages for policy • Prioritize improving separate collection systems for recyclable plastic, because most recyclable plastics are currently lost before reaching the sorting or recycling stages. • Use post-sorting (the recovery of recyclable plastic from mixed waste) to complement, not to replace, pre-sorting by households and businesses, to maximize recovery, especially in regions where participation is low and/or where mixed, unsorted waste is common. • Prevent non-packaging waste from entering packaging-recycling streams, to reduce contamination risks from hazardous substances and batteries. • Require advanced purification and strict quality standards for plastics sourced and recycled from post-sorted bales, to ensure that the quality of recycled plastic is equivalent to that from pre-sorting streams, especially for use in food packaging. The policy problem The amount of plastic packaging waste is rising quickly, but recycling systems are not keeping pace. As a result, most of this waste is still incinerated, placed in landfill or released into the environment. Plastic production therefore continues to depend mainly on virgin fossil-based inputs 1 , instead of recycled materials. …