Global Microplastic Recycling Market Size and Trends

Global microplastic recycling Market size is expected to reach US$ 439 Million by 2031, from US$ 276.6 Million in 2024, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8% during the forecast period. Microplastics are plastic particles or fibers less than 5mm in size. They enter the environment from a variety of sources such as cosmetics, synthetic textiles, and plastic degradation. Due to their small size, microplastics pose unique challenges for collection and recycling.

Microplastic Recycling Market Trends:

Advancements in filtration and sorting technologies: Advancements in filtration and sorting technologies are playing a crucial role in driving growth in the micro plastic recycling market. New innovations are making it possible to more effectively separate and extract micro plastics from waste streams. This allows for a higher rate of recycling and diversion of Microplastics from landfills and the environment. Recent technologies like infrared and near-infrared sorting allow for automated identification and separation of different polymer types during the recycling process. Infrared spectroscopy can identify microscopic plastic particles as small as 10 microns based on their molecular signature. This level of precision sorting ensures only the target plastic resin streams that are captured for recycling, improving purity, and lifting financial viability. For instances, in 2021, according to a study by the Plastic Energy, sorting facilities in Europe that use near- and infrared spectroscopy have raised collection rates of micro plastics and other hard-to-recycle plastic kinds from about 30% to over 90%.
Adoption of chemical and feedstock recycling methods: Adoption of chemical and feedstock recycling methods are having a significant impact on the micro plastic recycling market. Chemical recycling utilizes processes like pyrolysis and gasification to break down plastics into their base chemical components like oils and gases. These can then be utilized by the petroleum industry as raw feedstock materials to manufacture new plastics and other petrochemical products. This helps address the issue of recyclability of certain plastic types and mixed plastics that are not recycled through traditional mechanical recycling processes. As chemical recycling provides a viable solution to manage hard-to-recycle plastic waste streams, it is gaining more acceptance from both waste management companies and product manufacturers. For instances, the Recycling Partnership, a U.S. non-profit organization dedicated to plastic recycling, conducted trials across the U.S. in 2020–2021, and the results showed that feedstock recycling could be used to turn up to 80% of the plastic collected through curbside programs into new plastic pellets and beads.