Plastic Recycling Technologies for Circular Economy Transition:A Comparative Review

Abstract

The growing issue of plastic pollution calls for changing the traditional system of resource management through linear consumption into a circular economy. In this study, we synthesized and comparatively analyzed plastic recycling technologies to identify their roles, limitations, and implications for the transition toward a circular economy. Through a systematic qualitative review of academic literature and policy documents published during 2020-2025, this study examined mechanical, chemical, and biological technologies based on certain evaluation criteria, including efficiency, product quality, and economic aspects. The findings revealed that mechanical recycling was cost-effective yet lowered the quality of polymers, while chemical recycling provided quality plastics but required significant amounts of energy and investments and biological recycling looked promising yet had low speed of reactions.