For this project, we considered two different scenarios to help increase recycling and move toward zero-waste for plastics in the province of British Columbia (BC). More than 5 million people live in BC, and it’s one of Canada’s leading provinces for renewable energy efforts. Rife with natural resources and diverse ecosystems, it’s also one of the most vulnerable to the ongoing impacts of climate change.

We calculated the environmental impact of each recycling scenario using our Life Cycle Assessment methodology, comparing it against current plastics management systems. Alongside mechanical recycling, our study took into account chemical recycling as an emerging solution to improve the quality of recovered plastic feedstock.