Recycling Plastic - Facts You Need to KnowStatistics say that only 5% of the world’s plastic is being recycled. This is because of the ignorance of people around the world about how plastic is harmful for our environment. It poses a threat to polluting our environment that can lead to diseases and so it is very essential to get plastic recycled. However, there are various kinds of plastic we hardly know about. There are the thermoplastics, which do not undergo any change in their chemical composition when they are heated. There is the biodegradable plastic which breaks down when exposed to light, dampness, water, enzymes or even bacteria. At the bottom of plastic containers, we see a triangle in the form of chasing arrows.
There are various ways in which recycling of the plastic helps us.
Recycling of plastic help in conservation of energy
Many are unaware of how less energy is used in recycling plastics. It uses about two-thirds less of the energy required for making products out of raw materials. So, we see that recycling helps us in curbing energy consumption. The more energy is saved the ore can it be used for other necessary purposes.
Plastic recycling reduces the greenhouse effect
The usage of virgin materials leads to the emissions of greenhouse gas during the extraction, processing as well as during the production. Recycling of plastics reduces much of these emissions and the environment is saved from toxic gases.
Recycled plastic is beneficial for reuse
Of course, recycled plastic is beneficial as no new material is being for its making. It is just the old item being recycled into something new. Several items are made of recycled plastic. They are items like fleece jackets, lumber used for outdoor decking, carpeting and several other everyday products.
Reduction of use of PET plastics
PET plastic has effects like pollution and the greenhouse gas effects. Recycling has enabled producers to use less of PET plastics in their products than what they had used in 1977. This has not doubt benefitted the environment.
The increased use of recycled plastic has helped in flourishing the business of recycling plastics. This has reduced the used of making use of virgin plastics. Nevertheless, we should know that not all plastics are recyclable. The plastics that make plastic bowls, cups, CDs, toothbrush, drinking straws etc are not of the recyclable quality. That means that those plastics that cannot be recycled are nothing but dumped. However, we may recycle plastic there are companies that do not make use of recycled plastics, as they believe that better products are made by virgin plastics. So there even though we recycle the amount of plastic that cannot be recycled increases every year. These plastics disintegrate of the oceans and in the landfills. The toxic materials ultimately get into the soil and ultimately into our system.
Therefore, however much we recycle plastic it is advisable to reduce the consumption on plastic products wherever and whenever possible. The coming generations will reap the fruit of our rejection of plastic.