Sending “used plastics” to landfill is actually “rational economics”. However, sending anything to landfill is, in the long term, just an “out of sight, out of mind” and moderately irresponsible strategy, particularly for heavily populated city and suburban areas. In such areas, it is also “rational economics” to collect and reprocess the plastics in bulk.
However, for smaller regional cities and towns, who may choose to collect and reprocess used plastics, the bulk reprocessing is not feasible.
The University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) in Toowoomba, is well advanced in a Commonwealth Government funded program to develop strategies which are suited to regional situations. The UniSQ program is known as the SURF-NO WASTE Pilot Precinct program.
The PARTEC Institute (Plastics Training Centre) is a collaborator with UniSQ in this project. PARTEC is co-funding and developing a plastic reprocessing system “post-MRF” (Mechanical Recycling Facility) which will be feasible for regional towns.