Plastic products have evolved to play a prominent role in our daily lives. They are generally durable and lightweight, making them ideal for a broad spectrum of applications, such as: improving efficiency of automobiles; extending the shelf-life of foods; providing insulation and sealants in buildings; use in household products, consumer electronics, medical equipment and more. The use of plastics has increased over the years, and according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP; Nairobi, Kenya; www.unep.org), the world currently produces 430 million metric tons of plastics each year [1]. The increased use of plastics, however, has also resulted in an increase in waste plastic, much of which is ending up in the environment as plastic pollution.
INC-4
In late April, an international meeting was held in Ottawa to address the plastic pollution problem. It was the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), a group aimed at developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The Committee was formed in 2022 at the request of the executive director of UNEP to develop an instrument that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal. The Ottawa gathering (INC-4) was the Committee’s largest, with over 2,500 delegates. One more meeting (INC-5) is planned for November in Busan, Republic of Korea. The end of 2024 is the deadline that was set for the Committee’s work at the outset in 2022, making INC-5 the final scheduled meeting.
Progress was made at INC-4 in drafting text for a potentially international legally binding agreement. Discussions among the delegates included topics of emissions and releases, production, product design, waste management and more. The draft text reportedly includes the idea of limiting plastic production, even though there are strong objections to such limitations. Members agreed to continue their work in intersessional meetings to make more progress before INC-5 [2].
Producers focus on circularity
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.; www.epa.gov) estimates that only about 9% of all plastics are recycled in the U.S., although some specific polymers are recycled at a higher rate — polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were recycled at about 29% in 2018.
Plastic producers are looking to more significantly reduce the waste problem through a circular economy, with recycling as a major component. The group America’s Plastic Makers (www.plasticmakers.org), which is made up of the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division and its member companies, has outlined a number of guiding principles, as well as a strategy of five policy actions, that would accelerate a circular economy. Details of both can be found on the group’s website.
For continued up-to-date news on recycling, readers can subscribe to Chemical Engineering’s Sustainability e-newsletters at www.chemengonline.com. ■
Dorothy Lozowski, Editorial Director
1. UNEP, Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy, May 16, 2023.
2. Sources: Associated Press, 5 takeaways from the global negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution, www.apnews.com; and UNEP, Road to Busan clear as negotiations on a global plastics treaty close in Ottawa, www.unep.org.
Featured Conference
November 9-11, 2026Irving Convention Center | Dallas, TX
Explore this topic and more — live at Clean Americas. Join environmental, health, safety, and emergency response professionals tackling the industry's most urgent hazards. View Conference Program →
When a major incident strikes, the people stepping into Incident Command aren't always the ones who trained for it. Engineers, operators, trades supervisors, and compliance specialists may suddenly find themselves filling Command and General Staff roles — not because they volunteered, but because the situation demands it. Panelists will share practical strategies for leading without positional authority, tools and frameworks that help personnel rapidly orient to ICS roles, and approaches for closing the gap between day-to-day job functions and emergency command readiness before the next incident makes it urgent.
Speaking
Scott Andrews (Trans Mountain Canada Inc., Manager Emergency Management)
Kelly Codlin , MSPH, CIH (Marathon Petroleum Company, Emergency Preparedness Director)
Nick Hickson (Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), Hazmat Training Manager)
Josh Dubach MSc, CEM (Onterris, Senior Response Management Consultant)
This session will examine produced water as the largest waste stream in the oil and gas industry and one of its most pressing emerging challenges. It will address the growing volumes of produced water, the increasing regulatory and public scrutiny of constituents such as PFAS, salts, and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), and the operational implications for management, treatment, reuse, and disposal. The discussion will also explore how operators, regulators, and communities are redefining approaches to produced water management in response to environmental, technical, and stakeholder pressures.
Speaking
Steve Pepper, Ph.D., (Onterris, Director of Response Management)
Charles Maguire (Railroad Commission of Texas, Advisor, Oil and Gas Division)
Prof. Shane Walker Ph.D. (Texas Produced Water Consortium, Director)
Ray Cheatham (Onterris, Energy Sector Leader)
This session will present a detailed case study of a large-scale lithium-ion battery fire response that extended over 12 months. Attendees will explore the hazards associated with thermal runaway events, the operational challenges of suppressing lithium battery fires, and the response strategies that proved effective in this prolonged incident. The
Drawing on insights from U.S. EPA Region 9 wildfire response efforts, the session will also highlight tactics such as hazard characterization, air monitoring and evaluation, and household hazardous waste collection and disposal. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of the complexities involved in large-scale battery fire incidents and the critical factors to consider when planning and executing an effective response.
Speaking
Robert W. May PG (Clean Harbors, Senior Vice President, Branch Services and Sales)
Crosley Welch (Missouri Department of Natural Resources, State On-Scene Coordinator)
Samuel Cheek , CSP, RRPT (U.S. EPA, Region 6, Federal On-Scene Coordinator)
Christopher Myers (U.S. EPA, Region 9, Federal On-Scene Coordinator)
This session introduces use of remote sensing technologies to detect, characterize and monitor spills across marine and coastal environments. Discussion will highlight how tools can integrate into modern spill response workflows to improve safety and support data-driven decision making.
Speaking
James Hanzalik (Clean Gulf Associates, Vice-President)
Gordon Staples (MDA Space Ltd., Senior Radar Applications Scientist)
Grant Coolbaugh (Applied Research Associates / Ohmsett, Mechanical Engineer)
Speaking
Allyson Purcell MEP, CEM (ConocoPhillips, CMER Director)
Michael Delio (Maxum Petroleum, EHS & SECURITY MGR)
This session provides a practical, ground‑level introduction to the essential steps required after a battery undergoes a thermal event. We’ll break down how to assess site conditions, stabilize and prepare damaged cells or packs, select appropriate containment and packaging methods, and navigate the regulatory landscape that governs transport and disposal. The lecture emphasizes real‑world decision‑making, safety considerations, and compliance requirements, giving participants a clear framework they can apply immediately in field operations or emergency response planning.
Speaking
Mark Steadman (The Battery Network, Program Manager)
Chemical Engineering
Tackling the plastics challenge
| By Dorothy Lozowski
Plastic products have evolved to play a prominent role in our daily lives. They are generally durable and lightweight, making them ideal for a broad spectrum of applications, such as: improving efficiency of automobiles; extending the shelf-life of foods; providing insulation and sealants in buildings; use in household products, consumer electronics, medical equipment and more. The use of plastics has increased over the years, and according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP; Nairobi, Kenya; www.unep.org), the world currently produces 430 million metric tons of plastics each year [1]. The increased use of plastics, however, has also resulted in an increase in waste plastic, much of which is ending up in the environment as plastic pollution.
INC-4
In late April, an international meeting was held in Ottawa to address the plastic pollution problem. It was the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), a group aimed at developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The Committee was formed in 2022 at the request of the executive director of UNEP to develop an instrument that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal. The Ottawa gathering (INC-4) was the Committee’s largest, with over 2,500 delegates. One more meeting (INC-5) is planned for November in Busan, Republic of Korea. The end of 2024 is the deadline that was set for the Committee’s work at the outset in 2022, making INC-5 the final scheduled meeting.
Progress was made at INC-4 in drafting text for a potentially international legally binding agreement. Discussions among the delegates included topics of emissions and releases, production, product design, waste management and more. The draft text reportedly includes the idea of limiting plastic production, even though there are strong objections to such limitations. Members agreed to continue their work in intersessional meetings to make more progress before INC-5 [2].
Producers focus on circularity
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.; www.epa.gov) estimates that only about 9% of all plastics are recycled in the U.S., although some specific polymers are recycled at a higher rate — polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were recycled at about 29% in 2018.
Plastic producers are looking to more significantly reduce the waste problem through a circular economy, with recycling as a major component. The group America’s Plastic Makers (www.plasticmakers.org), which is made up of the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division and its member companies, has outlined a number of guiding principles, as well as a strategy of five policy actions, that would accelerate a circular economy. Details of both can be found on the group’s website.
For continued up-to-date news on recycling, readers can subscribe to Chemical Engineering’s Sustainability e-newsletters at www.chemengonline.com. ■
1. UNEP, Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy, May 16, 2023.
2. Sources: Associated Press, 5 takeaways from the global negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution, www.apnews.com; and UNEP, Road to Busan clear as negotiations on a global plastics treaty close in Ottawa, www.unep.org.
Featured Conference
When a major incident strikes, the people stepping into Incident Command aren't always the ones who trained for it. Engineers, operators, trades supervisors, and compliance specialists may suddenly find themselves filling Command and General Staff roles — not because they volunteered, but because the situation demands it. Panelists will share practical strategies for leading without positional authority, tools and frameworks that help personnel rapidly orient to ICS roles, and approaches for closing the gap between day-to-day job functions and emergency command readiness before the next incident makes it urgent.
This session will examine produced water as the largest waste stream in the oil and gas industry and one of its most pressing emerging challenges. It will address the growing volumes of produced water, the increasing regulatory and public scrutiny of constituents such as PFAS, salts, and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), and the operational implications for management, treatment, reuse, and disposal. The discussion will also explore how operators, regulators, and communities are redefining approaches to produced water management in response to environmental, technical, and stakeholder pressures.
This session will present a detailed case study of a large-scale lithium-ion battery fire response that extended over 12 months. Attendees will explore the hazards associated with thermal runaway events, the operational challenges of suppressing lithium battery fires, and the response strategies that proved effective in this prolonged incident. The
Drawing on insights from U.S. EPA Region 9 wildfire response efforts, the session will also highlight tactics such as hazard characterization, air monitoring and evaluation, and household hazardous waste collection and disposal. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of the complexities involved in large-scale battery fire incidents and the critical factors to consider when planning and executing an effective response.
This session introduces use of remote sensing technologies to detect, characterize and monitor spills across marine and coastal environments. Discussion will highlight how tools can integrate into modern spill response workflows to improve safety and support data-driven decision making.
This session provides a practical, ground‑level introduction to the essential steps required after a battery undergoes a thermal event. We’ll break down how to assess site conditions, stabilize and prepare damaged cells or packs, select appropriate containment and packaging methods, and navigate the regulatory landscape that governs transport and disposal. The lecture emphasizes real‑world decision‑making, safety considerations, and compliance requirements, giving participants a clear framework they can apply immediately in field operations or emergency response planning.