Skip to main content
Duke University Libraries
DukeSpace Scholarship by Duke Authors
  • Login
  • Ask
  • Menu
  • Login
  • Ask a Librarian
  • Search & Find
  • Using the Library
  • Research Support
  • Course Support
  • Libraries
  • About
View Item 
  •   DukeSpace
  • Theses and Dissertations
  • Nicholas School of the Environment
  • View Item
  •   DukeSpace
  • Theses and Dissertations
  • Nicholas School of the Environment
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Increasing Engagement in the HDPE Recycling Value Chain in the United States

Thumbnail
View / Download
9.3 Mb
Date
2015-04-24
Author
Jones, Kara
Advisor
Vermeer, Dan
Repository Usage Stats
449
views
2,756
downloads
Abstract
Global production of plastics has increased dramatically in the past 70 years, from 1.9 million tons in 1950 up to 330 million tons in 2013. The United States, the world’s second largest producer of waste, generated 32 million tons of post-consumer plastic waste in 2012, and only 8.8 percent of it was recovered. The rest was discarded in landfills and in smaller portions along roads, beaches, and in waterways. The value of just one type of plastic packaging—high density polyethylene (HDPE)—wasted in the United States is estimated to be $2.85 billion (2010). Despite generally high demand for recycled HDPE content (e.g., from consumer packaged goods manufacturers), there are disconnects between many recyclers, product manufacturers, and other actors that result in suboptimal design for recyclability and insufficient supply of quality material for recycling. Guided by this dynamic, the research has two objectives: (1) identify opportunities to increase engagement in the value chain for recycling rigid HDPE and (2) serve as a reference guide on the value chain covering key market dynamics, challenges, and influential organizations in each segment.
Type
Master's project
Department
Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences
Subject
HDPE plastic packaging recycling value chain
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9654
Citation
Jones, Kara (2015). Increasing Engagement in the HDPE Recycling Value Chain in the United States. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9654.
Collections
  • Nicholas School of the Environment
More Info
Show full item record
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Rights for Collection: Nicholas School of the Environment


Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info

Make Your Work Available Here

How to Deposit

Browse

All of DukeSpaceCommunities & CollectionsAuthorsTitlesTypesBy Issue DateDepartmentsAffiliations of Duke Author(s)SubjectsBy Submit DateThis CollectionAuthorsTitlesTypesBy Issue DateDepartmentsAffiliations of Duke Author(s)SubjectsBy Submit Date

My Account

LoginRegister

Statistics

View Usage Statistics
Duke University Libraries

Contact Us

411 Chapel Drive
Durham, NC 27708
(919) 660-5870
Perkins Library Service Desk

Digital Repositories at Duke

  • Report a problem with the repositories
  • About digital repositories at Duke
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Deaccession and DMCA Takedown Policy

TwitterFacebookYouTubeFlickrInstagramBlogs

Sign Up for Our Newsletter
  • Re-use & Attribution / Privacy
  • Harmful Language Statement
  • Support the Libraries
Duke University