what is plastic recycling? how it works for the environment
Plastic recycling is the process of taking waste plastic and turning it into new products. This can help the environment in a few ways:
- Reduces dependence on landfills: Landfills are overflowing with plastic, and recycling helps to divert waste from them. more This extends the lifespan of landfills and reduces the need to create new ones.
- Conserves resources: Making new plastic requires a lot of resources, like oil and natural gas. Recycling plastic helps to conserve these resources by using existing plastic to create new products.
- Protects the environment from pollution: Plastic pollution is a major problem, and recycling helps to reduce it. When plastic ends up in landfills or the environment, it can take hundreds of years to break down. This plastic can harm wildlife and pollute our oceans and waterways.
Overall, plastic recycling is a good way to reduce our impact on the environment.
Plastic is one of the most popular and useful materials of modern times and we must optimise the lifespan of plastics as much as possible. Worldwide we produce 300 million tonnes of plastic each year and most people are re-using and recycling their plastics.
plastic recycling reduces the need to extract new, raw materials from the earth as it reuses the stuff that’s already processed and protects natural resources. This can help reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. It also prevents adding more rubbish to landfills.
Why is it important to recycle plastic?
Plastic is a popular and highly versatile material, and we use a lot of it. Re-using and recycling items as many times as possible can reduce our need to create new plastic.
This means we can:
- conserve non-renewable fossil fuels (oil)
- reduce the consumption of energy used in the production of new plastic
- reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfill
- reduce emissions of gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
How is recycled plastic used?
A wide range of products can be made from recycled plastic including:
- drinks bottles and food trays
- polyester fabric for clothing
- wheeled bins and food caddies
- refuse sacks and carrier bags
- composters and wormeries
- wheel arch liners and bumpers on cars
- Damp-proof membranes
- reusable crates and pallets
- flower pots, seed trays, watering cans and water butts.
Types of plastic polymer & Application
Plastic Polymer | Application |
---|---|
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | Soft drink, water and salad dressing bottles; peanut butter and jam jars; ice cream cone lids; small non-industrial electronics. |
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) | Water pipes, gas, and fire pipelines, electrical and communications conduits, five-gallon buckets, milk, juice, and water bottles, grocery bags, some toiletry bottles. |
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) | Stretch wrap for non-food items, sometimes blister packaging. Non-packaging uses include electrical cable insulation, rigid piping, and vinyl records. |
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) | Frozen food bags; squeezable bottles, e.g. honey, mustard; cling films; flexible container lids. |
Polypropylene (PP) | Reusable microwaveable ware or take-away containers; kitchenware; yogurt or margarine containers; disposable cups and plates; soft drink bottle caps. |
Polystyrene (PS) | Egg cartons; disposable cups, plates, trays, and cutlery; foam food containers; packing peanuts and package cushioning. |
Other (often polycarbonate or ABS) | Beverage bottles, baby milk bottles. Non-packaging uses for polycarbonate: compact discs, “unbreakable” glazing, electronic apparatus housing, lenses (including sunglasses), and instrument panels. |