What’s the Process of Recycling Plastic? | July 20th, 2021.
When it comes to plastic, ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle are becoming increasingly important. Plastic is everywhere. But most of it is not reused or recycled. In 2017, a study found that of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic we have created, only 9% had been recycled. And 79% of it is still sitting in landfills.
We produce 100 billion plastic bottles globally each year. But only 35% of them are recycled according to the Association of Plastic Recyclers. The billions of metric tons of plastic products already discarded, as well as an additional 65 billion plastic bottles per year, will take an average of 400 years to degrade into microplastics. Some of that waste has already entered the food chain, where it poses health risks to wildlife and humans.
An increase in recycling can have a major impact on these numbers and on the future of the planet. But there can be some challenges and obstacles that stand in the way. So what’s the process of recyling plastic? This article will answer that question.
The Challenges of Recycling Plastic
This level of plastic pollution is not sustainable. Governments cannot continue putting this amount of plastic waste into landfills and oceans. More of it needs to be reused or recycled. Yet, recycling plastic presents challenges:
- Plastic is a high-demand product due to being lightweight, versatile, and cheap to produce.
- Half of all plastics are still not designed with recycling in mind.
- End products are often made from a mixture of recyclable and non-recyclable plastics.
- Recycling plastic is often not cost-effective.
Plastics manufacturers can and should rise to these challenges. As with any form of recycling, the industry itself stands to benefit. For example, when plastic recycling increases, the cost of producing new plastic goes down.
Plastic Recycling in Detail
Consumers are becoming aware of the problems that plastic creates. Although recycling programs now exist in many parts of the world, there is still confusion around plastic recycling. Often, people don’t know which products are made from what type of plastic. Even when they do know this, they may not know which types of plastic are accepted for recycling in their locality.
In this section, we look at which plastics are typically recycled or not recycled.
Which Types of Plastic Can Be Recycled?
Polyethylene terephthalate
Most commonly used to make plastic bottles, this type of plastic is also one of the most recycled with various uses. For example, it can be turned into polyester for the clothing industry.
High-density polyethylene
This type of plastic is also commonly recycled. Thicker than polyethylene terephthalate, it is used for products like toys, chemical storage bottles, and bottle caps.
Polyvinyl chloride
This is the most common type of plastic found in households. Furniture and water pipes are usually made from it. This product can be toxic during manufacturing, so a special recycling method must be used. Because of this, most plastic recyclers are unable to recycle it.
Which Types of Plastic Cannot Be Recycled?
Polystyrene and styrofoam
Most takeaway food containers and packaging materials are made from these plastics. Because they often take more energy to recycle than they do to produce, they’re not a cost-effective recycling choice.
Polypropylene
Personal hygiene products like shampoo and deodorant are often sold in polypropylene containers. Often, the original contents leave an undesirable odor behind, making it difficult and expensive to recycle it in a way that leads to reusable polypropylene.
Low-density polyethylene
This is mostly used to make certain types of containers and trash bags. But current recycling plant machinery can’t handle trash bags, meaning it’s not cost-effective to recycle them.
Plastic Recycling Steps
- Collecting. Before any plastic can be recycled it has to be collected. Although this step appears simple, many parts of the world still don’t have effective or easily accessible recycling programs. In remote, rural areas or in developing countries, just collecting plastic waste is a big challenge.
- Sorting and categorizing. Once collected, the plastic waste must be sorted and categorized. This is done according to type. While much of the sorting can be automated, there is usually an additional manual sorting step due to the variable types, shapes, and sizes of plastic products.
- Washing. Plastic cannot be recycled until excess products are washed off. Non-plastic products like adhesives are commonly added to plastic during product manufacturing. In addition, some plastic might be coated in waste like leftover food.
- Shredding and melting. The plastic is then shredded into flakes, which are then melted and re-forged into pellets. Any remaining impurities, such as metal, are separated from the plastic during this stage.
- Distributing. The plastic pellets are then sent to plastics manufacturers to be made into new forms of platic products.
The Future of Plastic Recycling
Consumers tend to change their habits based on education. In the case of plastic recycling, consumer awareness of plastic pollution is increasing and consumers are demanding and purchasing everyday items made from recycled plastic. That demand will increase plastic recycling.
Additionally, the legal and regulatory landscape around plastic recycling is slowly changing. Single-use plastics in the form of drinking straws, plastic bags, knives, and forks are now, or soon will be, banned in many countries.
Entrepreneurs recognize that recycling plastic needs a new approach. Researchers are working on this, and new technologies are in the pipeline. One of the most promising involves breaking plastic down into other chemical elements using enzymes. In a recent application of this technology, researchers were able to demonstrate recycling plastic into jet fuel.
Plastic upcycling by mobile recycling machine: miniTrashpresso
How Miniwiz Solutions Can Help
At Miniwiz we don’t believe in single-use plastic. We don’t even believe in single-use anything. Instead, we practice zero waste recycling and upcycling. After all, that’s the best way to achieve a circular economy and eventually eliminate all waste. Take a look at our solutions, including our state-of-the-art re-materials made from discarded trash and our re-view sunglasses made from recycled CDs and DVDs.