IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i12p2937-d1415145.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Blockchain-Based Management of Recyclable Plastic Waste

Author

Listed:
  • Katarzyna Bułkowska

    (Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Sloneczna Str. 45G, 10-709 Olsztyn, Poland)

  • Magdalena Zielińska

    (Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Sloneczna Str. 45G, 10-709 Olsztyn, Poland)

  • Maciej Bułkowski

    (Caruma Sp. z o.o., Obroncow Tobruku Str. 7, 10-092 Olsztyn, Poland)

Abstract

Effective management of recyclable plastic waste is critical for environmental sustainability and economic viability. Blockchain technology has transformative potential in addressing the challenges of plastic waste management. Currently, the inefficiency of plastic recycling systems results in low recycling rates and significant environmental impacts due to poor sorting, contamination, and limited technology application. However, innovations such as chemical recycling, solvent-based techniques, and biotechnology offer promising advances in the management of plastic waste. Blockchain technology provides a transparent, decentralized ledger that enhances traceability and incentives through smart contracts, decentralized applications (DApps), and digital watermarks. These blockchain solutions can improve waste tracking, automate payments, and reward participants who recycle responsibly. Although significant investment in technology and education is required, integrating blockchain with the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics could revolutionize plastic waste management by creating transparent, efficient, and collaborative recycling ecosystems. Blockchain technology has immense potential to redefine the management of plastic waste and promote a sustainable, circular economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Katarzyna Bułkowska & Magdalena Zielińska & Maciej Bułkowski, 2024. "Blockchain-Based Management of Recyclable Plastic Waste," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-25, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:12:p:2937-:d:1415145
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/12/2937/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/12/2937/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katrien Steenmans & Phillip Taylor & Ine Steenmans, 2021. "Blockchain Technology for Governance of Plastic Waste Management: Where Are We?," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-24, November.
    2. Yu Gong & Shenghao Xie & Deepak Arunachalam & Jiang Duan & Jianli Luo, 2022. "Blockchain‐based recycling and its impact on recycling performance: A network theory perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(8), pages 3717-3741, December.
    3. TONINI Davide & GARCIA-GUTIERREZ Pelayo & NESSI Simone, 2021. "Environmental effects of plastic waste recycling," JRC Research Reports JRC122455, Joint Research Centre.
    4. Saman Davari & Meisam Jaberi & Adam Yousfi & Erik Poirier, 2023. "A Traceability Framework to Enable Circularity in the Built Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-23, May.
    5. Adele Parmentola & Antonella Petrillo & Ilaria Tutore & Fabio De Felice, 2022. "Is blockchain able to enhance environmental sustainability? A systematic review and research agenda from the perspective of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 194-217, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yukta Anand & Asheesh Pandey, 2024. "Feasibility study of blockchain technology for circular economy: A bibliometric and systematic review," ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2024(2), pages 109-144.
    2. Zhanxue Wang & Lei Yu & Li Zhou, 2025. "Navigating the Blockchain-Driven Transformation in Industry 4.0: Opportunities and Challenges for Economic and Management Innovations," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(1), pages 3507-3549, March.
    3. Charfeddine, Lanouar & Umlai, Mohamed, 2023. "ICT sector, digitization and environmental sustainability: A systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2022," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    4. Hadiqa Ahmad & Muhammad Yaqub & Seung Hwan Lee, 2024. "Environmental-, social-, and governance-related factors for business investment and sustainability: a scientometric review of global trends," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 2965-2987, February.
    5. Mladen Krstić & Giulio Paolo Agnusdei & Snežana Tadić & Pier Paolo Miglietta, 2023. "Prioritization of e-traceability drivers in the agri-food supply chains," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-26, December.
    6. Aditi S. Saha & Rakesh D. Raut & Vinay Surendra Yadav & Abhijit Majumdar, 2022. "Blockchain Changing the Outlook of the Sustainable Food Supply Chain to Achieve Net Zero?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-21, December.
    7. Surajit Bag & Muhammad Sabbir Rahman & Susmi Routray & Santosh Kumar Shrivastav & Soni Agrawal, 2024. "Exploring the potential of blockchain‐enabled smart contracts for achieving net‐zero emissions: An empirical study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 3965-3985, July.
    8. Miao Su & Su‐Han Woo & Xiaochun Chen & Keun‐sik Park, 2023. "Identifying critical success factors for the agri‐food cold chain's sustainable development: When the strategy system comes into play," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 444-461, January.
    9. Abderahman Rejeb & Karim Rejeb & John G. Keogh & Suhaiza Zailani, 2022. "Barriers to Blockchain Adoption in the Circular Economy: A Fuzzy Delphi and Best-Worst Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-23, March.
    10. Pavel Ciaian & Andrej Cupak & Pirmin Fessler & d'Artis Kancs, 2022. "Environmental-Social-Governance Preferences and the Holding of Crypto-Assets," EERI Research Paper Series EERI RP 2022/07, Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI), Brussels.
    11. Summer K. Mohamed & Sandra Haddad & Mahmoud Barakat & Bojan Rosi, 2023. "Blockchain Technology Adoption for Improved Environmental Supply Chain Performance: The Mediation Effect of Supply Chain Resilience, Customer Integration, and Green Customer Information Sharing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    12. Magdalena Krystyna Wyrwicka & Ewa Więcek-Janka & Łukasz Brzeziński, 2023. "Transition to Sustainable Energy System for Smart Cities—Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-26, October.
    13. Amin Jan & Anas A. Salameh & Haseeb Ur Rahman & Mohanad M. Alasiri, 2024. "Can blockchain technologies enhance environmental sustainable development goals performance in manufacturing firms? Potential mediation of green supply chain management practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(3), pages 2004-2019, March.
    14. Jianhua Zhu & Taiwen Feng & Ying Lu & Wenbo Jiang, 2024. "Using blockchain or not? A focal firm's blockchain strategy in the context of carbon emission reduction technology innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 3505-3531, May.
    15. Ge, Yihan & Yuan, Rong, 2024. "Exploring decoupling relationship between ICT investments and energy consumption in China's provinces: Factors and policy implications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    16. Murray A. Rudd, 2022. "100 Important Questions about Bitcoin’s Energy Use and ESG Impacts," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.
    17. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yuan, Zihao & Kang, Yongchao, 2024. "Green finance and land ecological security: A potential mechanism for sustainable development," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 1222-1241.
    18. Guillermo Fuertes & Jorge Zamorano & Miguel Alfaro & Manuel Vargas & Jorge Sabattin & Claudia Duran & Rodrigo Ternero & Ricardo Rivera, 2022. "Opportunities of the Technological Trends Linked to Industry 4.0 for Achieve Sustainable Manufacturing Objectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-36, September.
    19. Albérico Travassos Rosário & Paula Lopes & Filipe Sales Rosário, 2024. "Sustainability and the Circular Economy Business Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-24, July.
    20. Zhang, Tianyu & Jia, Fu & Chen, Lujie & Blome, Constantin & Ball, Peter, 2025. "From platformization to ecosystem: How do third-party supply chain finance platforms develop an ecosystem? An inter-organizational network perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:12:p:2937-:d:1415145. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.