Recycling Waste Metallized Biaxially Oriented Plastic Films as Filler in Polyurethane Foams: Properties and Environmental Impact

The surge in popularity of multi-layered plastics in recent years can be attributed to their superior characteristics, which include better barrier performance and long-term dependability for a variety of commodity packaging solutions. However, because of their intricate design and rising consumption, multi-layered plastics are harmful to the environment. There are currently no suitable efficient methodologies for managing the waste. This study aims to reuse waste biaxially oriented plastic (BOP) as filler in polyurethane foams and evaluate the physical, chemical, morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties of the resultant material. In addition, carbon footprint analysis was also performed. The foams produced showed densities well within the commercial range. The foams with fillers were found to be stable up to 3 wt% BOP loading. The waste metallized plastic fillers were found to have no interactions with the foam chemically, as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results. Thermal conductivity and compressive strength of the foam samples were found to increase with the increase in filler loading. Finally, by adopting this strategy, that is, incorporating the waste fillers in just half of the mattresses sold globally can reduce the annual global carbon footprint by 882,000 tons.