The absence of standardized criteria sets and reporting

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the stated research gap and future work of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 3 journals. Those papers have been cited 30 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• The Factors Influencing the Recycling of Plastic and Composite Packaging Waste (2024) · Sustainability · cited 30× · doi

  The paper identifies a gap in the recycling system, including inadequate technological capacity and the underdevelopment of the secondary polymer market. The paper highlights the need for further advancements in the plastic and composite packaging waste sector. The paper notes that the establishment of ambitious political targets is challenging to attain.

  generalstated research gap
  Keywords: paper identifies gap recycling system including inadequate technological
• Plastic waste recycling in arid regions: technology selection and sustainability trade-offs in Qatar (2026) · Frontiers in Sustainability · doi

  Author contributions This review demonstrates that plastic waste recycling in Qatar and similar arid regions requires a feedstock-specific technology-selection approach rather than a single universal recycling pathway. Clean and separated polymer streams, particularly PE and PP, are most suitable for mechanical recycling and pelletization because these routes gener- ally offer lower processing complexity, higher industrial maturity, and favorable environmental performance. In contrast, mixed, contami- nated, or compatibility-limited plastic waste streams may require improved sorting, compatibilization, solvent-assisted recycling, or selected chemical and thermochemical routes to recover material value and improve end-use performance. The reviewed literature shows that recycled plastics can contribute to landfill diversion, greenhouse gas reduction, resource conservation, and circular economy development when appropriately matched with suitable applications. In construction, recycled plastic aggregates, fibers, and FRP-based systems can provide benefits such as reduced density, improved crack resistance, corrosion resistance, and lower lifecycle maintenance, particularly under Qatar’s saline, hot, and arid JS: Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. FT: Conceptualization, Data cura- tion, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. BI: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. ZM: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. AB: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. GM: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

  generalfuture workevidence 5/5
  Keywords: writing review original draft editing recycling plastic waste qatar arid streams particularly suitable routes lower
• Sustainability-Driven Evaluation of Circular Plastic and Bioplastic Waste Reused as Building Materials Using MCDA and SWOT Analysis (2026) · Polymers · doi

  The absence of standardized criteria sets and reporting protocols for evaluating sustainability performance. Limited cross-study comparability due to customized indicators, normalization approaches, and scoring scales. A need for more research on the technical, economic, and social challenges of reusing plastic waste as building materials.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: absence standardized criteria sets reporting protocols evaluating sustainability

Questions about this gap