Recycling Articles : Recyling Plastics

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Ever since the invention of plastic in the 19th century, it has been the packaging material of choice for many manufacturers. Cheap, lightweight and capable of being made into any size or shape, plastic is often used to carry liquids for a fraction of the cost of a glass container.

However, after over a century of enthusiastically using and dumping plastic, is there yet any effective way of disposing of it without ruining the planet?

The 1950’s saw the widespread commercial use of plastic really take off and since then our consumption of the material has grown by a long way every year. Unfortunately, to dispose of plastic is nearly always hazardous and dumping it not only creates mounds of waste that refuse to decompose for up to 5 centuries but that also leak harmful carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide into the soil when they do.

On the other hand, there are a handful of recyclable forms of plastic. PET or Polyethylene Terephthalate is one of the most common forms, and this is often used to create drinks bottles, cooking oil bottles and the containers for ready-made oven or microwave foods.

When PET is recycled it must be sorted according to polymer type (sub divisions of the type of plastic that it is) and colour before being washed, dessicated, sorted again then dried and melted down. This melted down substance is filtered to remove contaminates and solidified either as reusable strands or pellets.

Interestingly, this happens on a grand scale in Israel by a company named Aviv Plastic. Massive amounts of plastic from all over Israel are recycled by them in the Negev Desert. The output is not all positive though since the plant is a massive pollutor and is not very much liked by the local population - perhaps a reminder that reducing consumption is always the best solution.

The UK has recently seen compostable plastic bottles being made from corn starch by a company named Belu. The company’s profits are donated to clean-water projects and I cannot do enough to commend them for their efforts. You can find them at http://www.belu.org

Facilities for recycling plastics are expanding in the UK however it is still important to remember that it is better to not consume than to consume and recycle.

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