By Kyle RECYCLING PLASTIC What Is It Plastic
By: Kyle RECYCLING PLASTIC
What Is It? � Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state. � When compared to other materials like glass and metal materials, plastic polymers require greater processing to be recycled.
How Is Plastic Recycled? Currently plastics must be sorted into seven different groups before they can be recycled as they are not the same substance, even though they are all called plastics. � Once the plastics are sorted, they get ground or shredded by large machines. � The plastic shreds have to go through a washing process that can become quite complicated. Special detergents and rinses are used to prepare the plastics for the next step. � The ones that have gone through the shredding process are then fed into machines that use pressure and heat to compress the plastics into a solid. �
Economic Affects! � Plastic creates a number of environmental problems, as they are often mistaken for food, and many birds and turtles are affected by this.
Positive Outcomes Of Recycling Plastic… � Plastic is an integral and useful part of our daily lives. � Recycling one pound of plastic bottles, which include soft drink and water bottles, saves approximately 12, 000 BTUs (British thermal unit) of heat energy.
How To Solve The Problem… Source reduction Retailers and consumers can select products that use little or no packaging. Select packaging materials that are recycled into new packaging - such as glass and paper. � Since refillable plastic containers can be reused about 25 times, container reuse can lead to a substantial reduction in the demand for disposable plastic, and reduced use of materials and energy, with the consequent reduced environmental impacts. �
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