1
Recycling means the method of converting material/product into a secondary raw material. In this case, the waste is processed into products, materials or substances for their original or other purposes. Recycling ranks fourth in the waste handling hierarchy.
Recycling is a very demanding process logistically and in terms of energy. It may not always be the most appropriate option. It is suitable only if the processed recycled material (recyclate) can then actually be used.
In general, we can distinguish several stages and types of recycling. Recycling is necessarily preceded by waste collection and sorting. In common discourse, the concept of recycling is often confused with the act of sorting, which we classify as the initial recycling phase.
For the production of recyclates (second phase), two types of recycling processes are used in practice, namely mechanical recycling and chemical recycling.
For example, if plastic is recycled by a mechanical process, its polymer chains are shortened and its quality is gradually reduced. The mechanical recycling process can only be performed a few times with a given material. However, if the plastic is recycled chemically, it decomposes into basic units - monomers - and the process can be repeated indefinitely. Chemical recycling thus proves to be more advantageous, yet more time-consuming and energy-intensive. In any case, it is very important to consider what pays off in the context of the resulting products.
Another essential phase of the recycling process is the moment at which the specific use of recycled material is defined (third phase). If the secondary raw material is produced without defining its meaningful use, then this is just wasted energy.
The issue of recycling is summarised in an interview with Material Times given by the Dean of the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, professor Vladimír Kočí, who deals with the aforementioned LCA analysis:
'We consider recycling to be an indulgence, an alibi for our waste. If we make something out of waste, then it's as if it doesn't matter that we created the waste. Some producers claim that they made their products from waste so they are environmentally friendly, and those who produce the primary product say that their waste is still used so they are also environmentally friendly. They both pretend there's no impact which, of course, is nonsense. Sure, it's better to use waste material than discard it but we shouldn't justify the existence of the first product. We should go one step further and prevent waste. Design products and services so that waste is not generated' 2
In the context of recycling, we can distinguish other concepts such as upcycling or downcycling:
In the case of recycled materials/products, we can observe a decrease (downcycling) or, conversely, an increase in the value of the material/product (upcycling). The project Merdacotta (translated literally as ‘baked shit’) by architect Luca Cipelletti will serve as an example of upcycling and of obvious increase in the value of the material. Cipelletti was approached by the Italian agricultural entrepreneur Gianantonio Locatelli, who supplies milk for the well-known Grana Padano cheese. Together, they figured out how to process the enormous amount of cow dung produced on the farm (specifically 100 tonnes per day). The dung was dried and then mixed with Tuscan clay. This created a new material that is similar to terracotta after firing - hence the name Merdacotta. The irony hidden in the tableware, which the customer proudly lays out for special occasions, perhaps does not need to be explained. As the author of Why Materials Matter, Seetal Solanki adds: ‘Shit is the major problem our society is facing today… Perhaps Locatelli and Cipelletti's zero-waste Merdacotta system could be applied to human excrement, too... Because, after all, shit is material that everybody has to deal with’.3
In the Netherlands, they also found a way to use cow excrement. The Mestic project team, led by the artist Jalila Essadi, is able to turn manure into bioplastics, paper or textiles. Essadi is also the founder of Bioart Laboratories, an organisation that offers entrepreneurs and domestic scientists access to the biotechnology laboratory, along with tools and advice on interdisciplinary collaboration between science and the creative industries.4
In some cases, it is very hard to judge whether we’re talking about upcycling or downcycling. For example, outdoor clothing brands (Patagonia or Napapijri) presented collections of T-shirts and jackets made from recycled PET bottles. At first sight, this seems to be a clear case of an increase in the value of the final product. However, if all aspects are considered in the context of material circulation, the resulting clothing can no longer be recycled, unlike a PET bottle, which can be recycled repeatedly.
In general, we can distinguish several stages and types of recycling. Recycling is necessarily preceded by waste collection and sorting. In common discourse, the concept of recycling is often confused with the act of sorting, which we classify as the initial recycling phase.
For the production of recyclates (second phase), two types of recycling processes are used in practice, namely mechanical recycling and chemical recycling.
For example, if plastic is recycled by a mechanical process, its polymer chains are shortened and its quality is gradually reduced. The mechanical recycling process can only be performed a few times with a given material. However, if the plastic is recycled chemically, it decomposes into basic units - monomers - and the process can be repeated indefinitely. Chemical recycling thus proves to be more advantageous, yet more time-consuming and energy-intensive. In any case, it is very important to consider what pays off in the context of the resulting products.
Another essential phase of the recycling process is the moment at which the specific use of recycled material is defined (third phase). If the secondary raw material is produced without defining its meaningful use, then this is just wasted energy.
The issue of recycling is summarised in an interview with Material Times given by the Dean of the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, professor Vladimír Kočí, who deals with the aforementioned LCA analysis:
'We consider recycling to be an indulgence, an alibi for our waste. If we make something out of waste, then it's as if it doesn't matter that we created the waste. Some producers claim that they made their products from waste so they are environmentally friendly, and those who produce the primary product say that their waste is still used so they are also environmentally friendly. They both pretend there's no impact which, of course, is nonsense. Sure, it's better to use waste material than discard it but we shouldn't justify the existence of the first product. We should go one step further and prevent waste. Design products and services so that waste is not generated' 2
In the context of recycling, we can distinguish other concepts such as upcycling or downcycling:
In the case of recycled materials/products, we can observe a decrease (downcycling) or, conversely, an increase in the value of the material/product (upcycling). The project Merdacotta (translated literally as ‘baked shit’) by architect Luca Cipelletti will serve as an example of upcycling and of obvious increase in the value of the material. Cipelletti was approached by the Italian agricultural entrepreneur Gianantonio Locatelli, who supplies milk for the well-known Grana Padano cheese. Together, they figured out how to process the enormous amount of cow dung produced on the farm (specifically 100 tonnes per day). The dung was dried and then mixed with Tuscan clay. This created a new material that is similar to terracotta after firing - hence the name Merdacotta. The irony hidden in the tableware, which the customer proudly lays out for special occasions, perhaps does not need to be explained. As the author of Why Materials Matter, Seetal Solanki adds: ‘Shit is the major problem our society is facing today… Perhaps Locatelli and Cipelletti's zero-waste Merdacotta system could be applied to human excrement, too... Because, after all, shit is material that everybody has to deal with’.3
In the Netherlands, they also found a way to use cow excrement. The Mestic project team, led by the artist Jalila Essadi, is able to turn manure into bioplastics, paper or textiles. Essadi is also the founder of Bioart Laboratories, an organisation that offers entrepreneurs and domestic scientists access to the biotechnology laboratory, along with tools and advice on interdisciplinary collaboration between science and the creative industries.4
In some cases, it is very hard to judge whether we’re talking about upcycling or downcycling. For example, outdoor clothing brands (Patagonia or Napapijri) presented collections of T-shirts and jackets made from recycled PET bottles. At first sight, this seems to be a clear case of an increase in the value of the final product. However, if all aspects are considered in the context of material circulation, the resulting clothing can no longer be recycled, unlike a PET bottle, which can be recycled repeatedly.
1 Upcycling, recycling, downcycling
2 Interview with Vladimír Kočí: We cannot see beyond the horizon with common sense. Material times. Prague: Happy Materials, 2019, pp. 33, ISSN 2464-742X.
3 SOLANKI, Seetal. Why materials matter: responsible design for a better world. 1. Munich: Prestel Verlag, 2018, pp. 100. ISBN 978-3-7913-8471-9.
4 FRANKLIN, Kate, and Caroline TILL. Radical matter: rethinking materials for a sustainable future. 1. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2018, pp. 87. ISBN 978-0-500-29539-7.
2 Interview with Vladimír Kočí: We cannot see beyond the horizon with common sense. Material times. Prague: Happy Materials, 2019, pp. 33, ISSN 2464-742X.
3 SOLANKI, Seetal. Why materials matter: responsible design for a better world. 1. Munich: Prestel Verlag, 2018, pp. 100. ISBN 978-3-7913-8471-9.
4 FRANKLIN, Kate, and Caroline TILL. Radical matter: rethinking materials for a sustainable future. 1. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2018, pp. 87. ISBN 978-0-500-29539-7.
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