A Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Sorting and Recycling of Plastic Wastes

Global plastic pollution is a negative impact on the environment as the production and use of plastic are increasing rapidly. Plastic recycling is a significant step towards a circular economy. Over the decades, much plastic has been in circulation for various applications. Recycling plastic wastes (PW) entails waste sorting using some physical properties including plastic types, colors, and shapes, to produce high-quality recycled plastics. Classification of PWs includes common plastic types: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), and others. The traditional method of sorting PW achieves good accuracy but low throughput at an excessive cost. Automated processes in plastic sorting are developed to overcome this. This study analyzes automated sorting techniques and examines bibliometric data on plastic waste research over the past four decades. The Scopus database was used to retrieve statistics on the subject, which were then examined using the bibliometric program in the VOSviewer software. The data visualization was also carried out with VOSviewer. The results of this study can guide future research and provide crucial details to improve plastic waste management.