Plastic waste system and method

A system for achieving environmental responsibility in the production and use of plastic products and materials, comprising:

• a) at least one instrument for marking plastic, or plastic-containing, materials and products with a detectable and observable imprint, mechanical embossment, label, or other signifying mark or inclusion at a time of production or use;
• b) a first data recording device configured for continuous and routine recording of a total mass of plastic substance contained in the marked plastic, or plastic-containing, materials and products, the at least one production data recording device being connected to at least one mechanical or electronic sensor configured to count a number of marked plastic or plastic-containing product, and configured for the periodic transmittal, from the at least one production data recording device to a data acquisition and control unit or data server, of the total mass of plastic recorded by the first recording device;
• c) the data acquisition and control unit or data server that receives the data transmitted from said first data recording device, automatically manages routine billing of fees, to be paid by a producer or user of the marked plastic products or materials to the operator of the data server, in accordance with an agreed upon schedule of fees, for securing a guarantee, from the operator of the data server to said producer or user of plastic materials, of the disposal or elimination from the environment, in an environmentally responsible manner, of an amount of plastic that is an equivalent to, or proportional to, the mass of plastic produced or used and marked by said producer or user of plastic materials, transmits instructions to operators of environmentally responsible plastic waste processing facilities in fulfilment of obligations incurred in the provisions of said guarantee, receives data from plastic waste processing facilities regarding the elimination of plastic waste and provides data for certification to interested parties that such environmentally responsible disposal or elimination of plastic waste has been achieved by recording and reconciling plastic production and plastic waste elimination data;
• d) a facility for the disposal or elimination, in an environmentally responsible manner, of an amount of plastic waste that is equivalent to, or proportional to, the mass of plastic produced, or used, and marked by said producer or user of plastic materials;
• and
• e) a second data recording device located at the site or sites of said environmentally responsible plastic waste processing facility or facilities, that is configured to:
• receive orders for plastic waste disposal or elimination from said data server, verify that such orders for plastic waste disposal and elimination are fulfilled, and transmit, to the said data server, operating data regarding the performance and accomplishment of the plastic waste processing facility in undertaking the environmentally responsible removal of said equivalent, or proportional amount of mass of plastic from the environment.