The current use of plastics is not sustainable due to the tremendous amount of discarded plastic waste accumulating as debris in landfills, oceans and other natural habits across the world. Mechanical recycling, which as related to plastics is also called back-to-plastics recycling, has been used since the 1970s. However, the quantities of recycled plastics vary geographically. Lately there has been a noticeable uptick in buzz around chemical recycling technology as a potential solution to the plastics crisis. Meanwhile, critics point to drawbacks which include environmental health risks, inefficiency in terms of the amount of waste plastic that becomes new plastic, and high costs.