Recycled plastics harm the environment by leaking hazardous chemicals, according to experts

According to studies, recycled plastic bottles leak more dangerous substances into their contents than new plastic bottles. Over 150 contaminants were discovered in plastic bottles that were transferred into liquids. Around 18 people had blood levels that were above the legal limit.

Researchers have warned that a generally recycled plastic bottle contains more potentially hazardous chemicals and its contents than newly made bottles.

Researchers at Brunel University London discovered 150 chemicals that were delivered to beverages from plastic bottles, with 18 of them being found to have exceeded the standards.

Observation of PETs

They also found that beverages packaged with recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) had more pollution than beverages bottled with new PET, suggesting that difficulties with the recycling process could cause contamination. They advocate for more careful recycling processes to eliminate potentially dangerous compounds.

The thermoplastic PET is the third most common form of plastic and food packaging, with single-use beverage bottles one of its most common uses.

As one of the most common types of plastic waste, such bottles have required several attempts to improve PET recycling rates. According to a recent EU rule, PET bottles must contain at least 30% recycled material by 2030.

On the other hand, PET is known to contain a variety of chemical pollutants, including endocrine disorders such as bisphenol A, which can cause reproductive difficulties, cardiovascular problems, and cancer, among others.

Read also: UN claims the Plastic Summit is the most important green deal since the 2015 Paris Agreement

Chemical contamination

The researchers looked at 91 papers on chemical contamination of plastic bottles worldwide. The lead author of the study, Dr.

The study argues that a method known as “super-cleaning” procedure, which uses a three-step process to clean old plastic before recycling – a high-temperature wash, a gas wash, and a chemical wash – can be used to minimize the number of Chemicals found in bottles of beverages.

The study argues that a procedure known as the “super-cleaning process”, which cleans old plastics in three stages before recycling – a high-temperature wash, a gas wash and a chemical wash – can be used to minimize the amount of chemicals detected in bottles of beverages.

Cleaning the bottles

Bottle cleaning is already part of the recycling process before being used as a secondary raw material. We can increase the ability to decontaminate recycled PET at levels comparable to virgin PET by investing in innovative super-cleaning technologies.

The ultimate answer to the problem, as always, is that the company will completely stop PET, according to Iacovidou.

We all have a share of the blame. We need to start thinking about how not to use PET bottles in our homes by investing in water filters or large water containers and learn how to properly dispose of our plastic waste, she added.

They will push the change further into the chain if we minimize our PET use. First, less demand means less output.

Related article: Alarm report considers plastic pollution as a planetary emergency

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