Plastic Waste Management

As a critical discipline within Environmental Engineering, Plastic Waste Management applies systematic engineering principles to manage the entire lifecycle of plastic materials, from their generation to final disposal. This field encompasses a hierarchy of preferred strategies, including source reduction, reuse, and various forms of recycling such as mechanical and advanced chemical processes that break down polymers into new feedstocks. It also involves the engineering of waste-to-energy systems and the design and operation of sanitary landfills for residual waste, with the overarching objective of minimizing environmental pollution, conserving resources, and transitioning towards a circular economy by transforming plastic waste from a liability into a valuable resource.