See https://www.floridatrend.com/article/14356/trashed-plan-to-u...

St. Lucie County wanted to use a plasma torch that would have converted plastic and other carboniferous waste to energy. Like many other plans to do the same, it fell through

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_gasification

Apparently that same technology is being used on newer US Navy ships for waste management.

Yeah, reminds me of Changing World Technologies -- so much hope, so little reality: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_World_Technologies

In a more civilized civilization we'd be investing in making these processes work. Likely there was more money to be made by stakeholders to scuttle these endeavors.