Belkin will make its most popular accessories with recycled plastics.
That includes , power banks, wall chargers, and car chargers, which will now consist of 73 to 75 percent post-consumer recycled plastics.
But as our science reporter Justine Calma points out, electronics made with recycled plastics still don’t do much to solve the e-waste problem. That’s because companies have to use new plastics to reinforce recycled plastics that have deteriorated over time:
All those weaknesses with plastic also make it more difficult to recycle something that’s already been made with recycled materials. There comes a point when plastic can’t even be downcycled anymore. When it reaches that point, it’s typically incinerated or sent to landfills.
