Resources · Definition

Plastic waste

Discarded polymer-containing material whose composition, contamination and sorting history shape recovery options.

Definition

Discarded polymer-containing material whose composition, contamination and sorting history shape recovery options. Follow the related lesson to see how this term changes a system boundary or decision.

Learn this term in context

Wastes, by-products and secondary feedstocks

How current fate, contamination, regulation and avoided treatment shape the value of waste-derived resources.

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REFERENCES

References & further reading

U.S. Department of Energy (2024). 2023 Billion-Ton Report: An Assessment of U.S. Renewable Carbon Resources.https://doi.org/10.23720/BT2023/2316165 ↗