为什么回收塑料如此困难？Why is plastic recycling so challenging?

为什么回收塑料如此困难？Why is plastic recycling so challenging?
If you've ever looked at the bottom of a disposable bottle or cup, you've probably noticed this symbol.
如果你曾经仔细观察过一次性瓶子或杯子的底部，你可能注意到了这个符号。
Seeing this, many people assume the item they're holding should be tossed in a recycling bin.
看到这个，许多人便会自然而然地认为手中的物品应当投入回收箱。
Yet many of these plastics are incapable of being recycled at most centers.
但实际上，大部分回收中心都无法处理这些塑料制品。
In fact, of the 360 million tons of plastic created worldwide each year, only 9% is ever recycled.
实际上，全球每年生产的3600万吨塑料，仅有9%能够被回收。
So why are so few plastics recycled?
那么，为什么回收的塑料这么少呢？
And what do these codes actually mean?
那么，这些编码到底是什么意思呢？
Our recycling problem is multi-layered, beginning at production.
我们面临的回收难题是多方面的，起始于生产环节。
About 18% of plastics are made from what is known as thermosetting polymers.
大约18%的塑料是由被称为热固性聚合物的材料制成。
These plastics gain stability through curing, a process that hardens a material by irreversibly crosslinking its molecular chains.
这类塑料通过一种固化过程增强稳定性，该过程将其分子链不可逆地交联，从而使材料硬化。
The very properties that make thermoset plastics so useful, in that they keep their shape and integrity under extreme conditions, mean that they can't be broken down and rebuilt by the vast majority of recycling plants.
热固性塑料之所以如此有用，正是因为它们能在极端条件下保持形状和结构完整，但这也意味着绝大部分回收厂无法将其分解再利用。
Thankfully, most plastics are thermoplastics, which can be melted and remolded.
幸运的是，大部分塑料是热塑性塑料，能够被融化后重新塑形。
But this category encompasses a variety of materials with unique chemical structures, weights, and properties, all of which require different conditions for recycling.
但这一类别包含了各种具有不同化学结构、重量和特性的材料，每种材料都需要在特定条件下进行回收。
As a result, only some of these thermoplastics are accepted at most recycling centers, which brings us to our next problem: the confusing code system.
因此，只有部分热塑性塑料能在大多数回收中心得到接受。这就带来了我们接下来要面对的问题：那些令人迷惑的编码系统。
Developed and introduced by the plastics industry in 1988, this code was presented as a way to help consumers and facilities sort their trash.
这套编码系统由塑料行业于1988年开发并引入，目的是为了帮助消费者及处理设施更好地分类垃圾。
Each number indicates the material the plastic is made of, known as its resin.
每个数字代表了塑料所用的材料类型，也就是它的树脂代码。
Some resin numbers are recyclable at most centers, while others are not.
大部分回收中心可以处理某些编号的树脂材料，但有些编号的树脂材料则不能回收。
And yet, within this system, all numbers are surrounded by the universally recognized recycling symbol, misleading consumers into thinking that many unsalvageable plastics have a chance at a second life.
然而，这一体系内的所有数字都被普遍认可的回收标志包围，误导消费者认为许多无法挽救的塑料也有机会重获新生。
And just because a technically recyclable resin makes it to a recycling bin, doesn't mean it will continue its journey.
但是，即使是技术上可回收的树脂材料被放入回收箱，也并不保证它能继续其回收循环的过程。
Plastics often contain multiple resins, are mixed with dyes and additives, or are affixed with difficult-to-remove stickers and labels, all of which can cause them to be rerouted to the incinerator or trash bin.
塑料往往含有多种树脂，掺杂了染料和添加剂，或者附着着难以清除的贴纸和标签，这些因素都可能使其被转送至焚烧炉或垃圾桶。
In short, many companies don't design packaging with recovery in mind.
简言之，许多公司设计包装时并没有考虑到回收这一环节。
Even under pristine conditions, plastic resins can only be melted down and remolded a handful of times, as their polymers degrade with each use.
即便在最佳状态下，塑料树脂也只能被熔化重塑少数几次，因为每次使用都会使其聚合物质量下降。
If all these issues make you feel as if recycling plastics is infeasible, you wouldn't be the first.
如果这些问题让你感觉回收塑料似乎不切实际，那你并不是第一个有此想法的人。
This reality was well known to the plastics industry as early as the 1970s.
早在1970年代，塑料行业就已经对这个现实了如指掌。
Despite their doubts that widespread recycling would ever be economically viable, the industry threw millions of dollars into ad campaigns.
虽然他们对广泛回收是否能够经济上可行持有怀疑，该行业仍然投入数百万美元用于广告宣传。
Within the US, the plastics industry quietly lobbied state governments, leading a majority to adopt laws requiring that plastics bear the confusing resin codes.
在美国，塑料行业秘密向各州政府进行游说，促使大部分州通过了法律，要求塑料产品上必须贴有令人迷惑的树脂代码。
And with this, the burden of "fixing" the growing plastic waste problem was pushed from the industry onto the consumer.
由此，解决不断增长的塑料垃圾问题的重担被行业推卸到了消费者身上。
Today, the situation has only gotten worse.
如今，这一情况已经进一步恶化。
The rising costs to properly separate all this waste, paired with fewer international buyers of recyclable scraps, has forced many cities to shut down their curbside recycling programs altogether.
垃圾正确分离的成本上涨，加之可回收废料的国际买家减少，迫使许多城市彻底终止了他们的路边回收计划。
So how can we fix our growing plastic waste system?
那么我们如何解决不断增加的塑料废弃物问题呢？
It's clear that we must reduce the plastics we consume.
很明显，我们必须减少塑料的使用量。
More than a quarter of our plastic waste comes from packaging materials.
我们四分之一以上的塑料垃圾来源于包装材料。
Many manufacturers have taken steps in the right direction, phasing out unnecessary plastic films, and switching out plastic tubs and tubes with more easily recyclable materials, or compostable options.
许多生产商已经开始采取正确措施，逐步取消不必要的塑料膜使用，并且用更易于回收的材料或可堆肥选项替代塑料盒和塑料管。
For the plastics that do remain, one solution is to work towards a circular economy for plastics.
对于仍然存在的塑料问题，一种解决办法是推动塑料的循环经济。
This means creating fewer new plastics, eliminating those that are single-use, and ensuring the plastics that remain can stay in circulation via recycling.
这意味着我们需要减少生产新塑料，淘汰那些一次性使用的塑料，并确保剩余的塑料能够通过回收不断循环使用。
Such a system would rely on policies that regulate plastics starting at their production— ensuring that all plastics created are free from contaminants that could harm their ability to be recycled.
这种系统需要依靠一系列政策，这些政策从塑料的生产环节开始就对其进行规制，确保所有制造出来的塑料都不含有可能干扰其回收利用能力的污染物。
In the meantime, many experts believe the current resin code system should be eliminated, and swapped out for clear, simplified recyclable versus non-recyclable labels.
同时，很多专家认为应当废除现有的树脂编码系统，转而采用更为直观、简化的可回收与不可回收标签。
This would help consumers more easily sort their waste, but more importantly, allow them to make informed decisions at purchase, ultimately putting the pressure back on manufacturers to ensure a recyclable future.
这将帮助消费者更便捷地对废弃物进行分类。更为关键的是，这能够在他们购买时做出更明智的选择，最终将压力转移到生产商身上，促使他们确保产品能够被回收利用，拥有可持续的未来。

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