Recycling plastic is a myth or it really works?

Plastics are durable, lightweight and inexpensive materials. They can readily be molded into various products which are used in various applications.

Why it is necessary to recycle plastic?

Every year, more than 100 million tons of plastics are manufactured across the globe. Around 200 billion pounds of new plastic material is thermoformed, foamed, laminated and extruded into millions of packages and products. Consequently, the reuse, recovery and the recycling of plastics are extremely important.

Recycling is as old as thrift. The Japanese were recycling paper in the 11th century; medieval blacksmiths made armour from scrap metal. During the second world war, scrap metal was made into tanks and women’s nylons into parachutes. Trouble started when household methods become laden with plastic. Household products have all sorts of undesirables: non-recyclable materials, food waste, oils and liquids that rot and spoil the bales. At the same time, the packaging industry flooded our homes with cheap plastic: tubs, films, bottles, individually shrink-wrapped vegetables. Plastic is where recycling gets most controversial.

Although all plastics can be recycled, many aren’t because the process is expensive, complicated and the resulting product is of lower quality than what you put in. The carbon-reduction benefits are also less clear.

Some quick recycling facts about plastic

• Every hour, Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles, most of which are thrown away.
• Currently, 25 percent of plastic waste is recycled in Europe.
• Recycling plastic takes 88% less energy than producing plastics from new raw materials.
• Currently, around 50% of plastics we use are thrown away just after a single use.
• Plastics account for 10% of total global waste generation.
• Plastics can take hundreds of years to degrade
• The plastics that end up in the oceans break down into small pieces and every year around 100,000 marine mammals and one million seabirds get killed eating those small pieces of plastics.
• The energy saved from recycling just a single plastic bottle can power a 100 watt light bulb for nearly an hour.

Plastic recycling faces many challenges, ranging from mixed plastics to hard-to-remove residues. The cost-effective and efficient recycling of the mixed plastic stream is perhaps the biggest challenge facing the recycling industry. Experts believe that designing eco-friendly packaging with recycling in mind can play a significant role in facing this challenge. The recovery and recycling of post-consumer flexible packaging is a recycling problem. Most material recovery facilities and local authorities do not actively collect it due to a lack of equipment that can efficiently and easily separate them.

Oceanic plastic pollution has become a recent flashpoint for public concern. Ocean plastic is expected to triple in the next decade, and public concern has prompted leading organizations around the world to take action towards better plastic resource management and pollution prevention.

Recycling is critical to effective end-of-life plastic management. Increasing recycling rates have resulted from greater public awareness and the increased effectiveness of recycling operations. Operational efficiency needs more support from ongoing investment in research and development. Recycling of a greater range of post-consumer plastic products and packaging will further boost recycling and divert more end-of-life plastic wastes from landfills. Industry and policymakers can also help stimulate recycling activity by requiring or incentivizing the use of recycled resin versus virgin plastics.

by: Abeer Arshad 

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