Towards high-quality recycling – managing plastics recycling networks

A growing negative public attitude towards plastics and recent regulatory attempts to reduce its use increase the demand for recycled plastics. However, the available supply of recycled plastics cannot satisfy the demand regarding quality and quantity. To understand how the plastics recycling networks could be transformed to meet the growing demand, we run an interview study along the recycling supply chain from waste collection to the use of secondary raw materials by the OEM. So far, we have conducted 25 semi-structured interviews and complemented that information with data from industry organizations and NGOs. The emerging findings reveal why current plastics recycling practices are insufficient to meet the growing demand. Further, we showcase a path towards high-quality plastics by providing a grounded theoretical framework for a recycled plastics supply network that accounts for the management of the recycling network, coordination between recyclers and OEM, and the use of recycled plastics by the OEM. The study highlights that research and improvements in operations management play an important role in the transformation towards high-quality plastics recycling.