Team Plastics

Overview of Wicked Problems:

Wicked problems have no complete definition, for there are no final solutions (Brown). They are complex in all aspects, all risks have to be weighed equally before tackling, and all disciplines are required to work together for a potential solution (Salwasser).

Wicked Problems are:

Highly complex problems

Unstructured

Open ended

Multi- dimensional/ multi-disciplined

Evolving

Overwhelming

Energy and Plastic as a Wicked Problem:

Energy use and single use plastics are a wicked problem because it creates worldwide pollution that is destroying the environment and leads to an increase in Greenhouse Gases that contribute to the warming of the planet. A single bottle of water requires between 5.6 and 10.2 million joules of energy per liter, depending on transportation factors. That’s about 2,000 times what it takes to produce tap water, which is 0.005 million joules per liter (How Much Energy Goes Into Making a Bottle of Water? (phys.org)). The average American consumes 217 bottles of water a year (that’s about 108.5 liters of water), creating an average of 857 million joules of energy annually.

The biggest problem with plastic consumption (especially single-use) is that it is not processed back into the energy system. It is downcycled, thrown in the trash, left in landfills, or it makes its way to the ocean where it degrades into microplastics that animals and humans consume daily. This problem creates an issue for many industries, such as fishing, tourism, and housing. The plastics that make their way into the ocean kill fish and lead to a deficit in the food supply that many populations depend on for survival. It also dirties beautiful beaches that lose tourists that are depended upon for income. The energy use and plastic go hand in hand and combine a multitude of issues that make it too complex to be solved completely. Some of these complex issues include big business, cost, and even recycling.

The Role of Recycling in Combating this Wicked Issue:

In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency released information that producing materials made from recycled plastic uses only two-thirds of the energy used to manufacture from raw materials. Since plastics can take 200 to 400 years to decompose (under our best estimates), recycling is one of the best ways to conserve energy in the system. We may not be able to eliminate single-use plastics entirely, but conserving the energy needed to make certain materials will help eliminate greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere and combat climate change.

Problems:

Separating plastic from landfill is one of the major components of recycling. The biggest problem with this is that the general public does not understand what is recyclable and what is not. Often, items that do not get rinsed out (i.e. milk jugs, cans, etc...) do not get recycled because of the extra effort needed to clean them. In addition, bags that become cross contaminated cannot be recycled. This means if an item that belongs in the landfill gets placed in a recycle bag, the entire bag will not be recycled because it is not presorted. Only 9% of plastic waste ever produced has been recycled -- 12% incarcerated and 79% in landfills and natural environments. Education is the biggest obstacle to recycling. If not, enough people understand the impact that it can have, recycling will remain an issue long into the future.

Another obstacle is the different types of plastics out there. The chart below explains the different types of recyclable plastics out there. Certain plants can only recycle certain types of plastic. With the different type of sorting needed, this makes individual recycling rather difficult. How do people know the distinctions?