Long considered the preferred plastic waste disposal method, recycling has proven to be largely ineffective. Based on data collected on a state-by-state basis from BioCycle, it is estimated that the actual average recycling rate in the United States is below 4%. This exceedingly low market penetration is caused by high costs, low consumer participation, and the limited types of plastic that can be recycled.

Current manufacturing plants are set up to produce plastic from petroleum feedstock, and are therefore inefficient when used to recycle plastic. Even if prevailing plastic waste recycling facilities are efficient, they nevertheless must remove dyes, fillers, and other foreign materials from the plastic waste stream, and in the process incur additional operating expenses. In most cases, the energy used to recycle plastic waste is greater than the energy required to produce virgin plastic from crude oil.