These chemicals can then be purified and reused. But, like many great ideas in the industry, it is more expensive than producing virgin material. Old plastics are ground into powder or small particles and is mixed with virgin material. The reason that such a small percentage of recycled plastic can be mixed with new material is that the recycled material causes deterioration of the polymer mechanical properties. So, although savings in raw material costs result, the product is of lower quality and may be less valuable.
Recycling plastic is difficult, but it is done.
Millions of dollars in research are dedicated to this topic each year. As plastic demand continues to increase, it becomes more and more imperative that an effective means of recycling be found. Ironically, I believe that chemical recycling will ultimately be the answer for most plastics. But first, science will have to find a way to make chemical recycling as cost effective as producing virgin material. In order for that to happen, researchers will have to develop better ways to breakdown the world's most popular plastics.