Honda unveils recycling technology to give old car plastics new life

Honda has unveiled a chemical recycling technology that could transform how the auto industry handles plastic waste and significantly cut production costs.

Developed by Honda R&D Co. Ltd. in Wako, Japan, the new system uses chemical sorting to separate reusable plastics from contaminated car parts with extraordinary precision. According to Recycling Today, Honda’s latest method achieves a purity rate of over 99%, far surpassing the previous 80% limit reached with traditional mechanical sorting.

The innovation works by dissolving plastic parts into a liquid solvent, allowing solid impurities to be efficiently filtered out. This process enables “closed-loop recycling,” meaning the recovered plastics can be reused directly in new vehicle components, rather than being downcycled or discarded.

Beyond its environmental benefits, the system also delivers major cost savings. Manual and machine-based sorting methods were previously time-consuming and expensive. Honda says its chemical approach reduces both capital investment and process costs, shortens sorting times, and boosts recycling yields, marking a leap toward sustainable and circular car production.

Globally, more than 450 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced annually, much of which ends up in landfills or the ocean. By pioneering high-purity recycling at scale, Honda is positioning itself at the forefront of the fight against plastic pollution and setting a new sustainability benchmark for the entire automotive sector.

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