Recycled Plastic: An Overview!
Recovering scrap or waste plastic materials and turning them into valuable functional goods is what we call plastic recycling. The primary purpose of plastic recycling is to eliminate excessive levels of plastic pollution while reducing the demand to manufacture new plastic items.
This way, the recycling method conserves resources and keeps plastic out of landfills and unanticipated locations like the ocean.
But, Why Do We Need Recycling?
One of the primary reasons for recycling is that plastics are a long-lasting, lightweight, and low-cost material. They can be easily shaped into various items, which can later be used for multiple applications.
Further, given their cost-effective nature, plastics are produced more than 420 million tonnes per year all over the world. As a result, plastic reuse, recovery, and recycling are increasingly crucial, and many innovative organizations like Mikacycle have already transitioned into recycling to reduce the overall efforts of waste around the globe.
Types Of Recyclable Plastic
Plastics are broadly divided into six categories. Following are some typical goods for each type of plastic:
- PS (Polystyrene) – Foam containers, plastic cutlery, hot drink cups, and yogurt packaging are all examples of PS.
- PP (Polypropylene) – Lunchboxes, ice cream tubs, take-out food containers, are examples of PP).
- LDPE (low-density polyethylene) – Garbage bins and bags are examples of LDPE.
- PVC (Plasticised Polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride) – Some great examples of PVC are juice, cordial, and squeeze bottles.
- HDPE (High-density polyethylene) – Shampoo bottles or milk bottles are examples of HDPE.
- PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) – Soft drink bottles and fruit juice are great examples of PET.
Now, talking of the current recycling trends around the globe, brands like Mikacycle are initiating the use of recycled and processed plastic materials from the HDPE, PET, and PVC types of plastic items as they’re only currently recyclable.
Further, plastic materials like PP, LDPE, and PS are often not recycled since processing such plastic items is more complicated and expensive. The bottle tops and lids are added to the list of non-recyclable items.
The Latest Advances In The Industry!
Plastic recycling has become more accessible and cost-effective, thanks to ongoing technological advancements and modern brands like Mikacycle taking active participation in the cause. Further, the process is more seamless, with reliable detectors and advanced judgment and identification software coming together to improve the productivity and accuracy of robotic plastic sorting.
The development of higher-value uses for recycled polymers in closed-loop recycling systems is another notable accomplishment in plastic recycling. Thanks to its applications for PET thermoforming, A/B/A layer sheets are now usable in the UK if they contain over 50 percent to 70 percent recycled PET.
Lastly, countries like Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway, and Austria have opted for future-oriented ways by collecting rigid packaging such as pots, tubs, and trays and a limited quantity of post-consumer flexible packaging. Lastly, thanks to recent advancements in washing and sorting technology, recycling non-bottle plastic is also a possibility now!
Now You Know!
Now, if you look at it, plastic recycling is a necessity we must abide by! While using it is a cost-effective measure for operations, organizations should be more focused on trying to replace it via different means. After all, lower plastic use means better.
Read more interesting article at Time Business News
