THE EFFECT RECYCLING OF PLASTICS TO ENVIRONTMENT

Aulia Arif Shalihuddin, Fahrizal Dwi C.

D4 Energy Generation System
Electronics Engineering Polytechnic Institute of Surabaya

1. INTRODUCTION
Now global warming attack our earth, it is caused by green house effect, air
pollution, waste disposal, waste paper, etc. That causing give an impact in our environment
namely climate change and rare plants. But in a little scale what we should do for saving our
earth is recycling waste disposal such as solid waste, liquid waste, radioactive waste, etc.
So, the writer wants to give an information how does the recycling of plastic? And how
importance recycling of plastic to our environment?
Plastics are synthetic organic polymers, mainly made from petrochemical feedstocks.
Since the invention of the first plastic or polymer in the early 1900s (i.e. Bakelite), and the
development of polyethylene in the 1930s, the number of plastics has increased
dramatically, and so has their use. As society has steadily increased its use of plastics, plastic
waste management has become a growing concern around the world. Today, about 280 Mt
of plastics are produced annually. The key producers of plastics are China (23%), Europe
(21%), North America (20%) and the rest of Asia (excluding China; 21%). Plastics offer many
advantages for specific applications. Plastics are easy to shape, do not corrode or
decompose only slow ly a nd the characteristics can be adap ted to the specific needs by
using composites or adding specific layers or additives. From that recycling of plastics is one
of the key strategies to reduce the enviromental problems related to plastic waste. And
plastic recycling will reduce reliance on fossil fuels [1].
In this chapter, we will first discuss trends in plastic consumpti on, and types of
plastics used. This is followed by a description of the current situation with respect to
plastics in the waste stage and recycling. We primarily focus on the effect to enviroment,
using of the key recycled plastics as an example PET, and we end with some concluding and
opportunities of plastics recycling.

2. USE OF PLASTICS
There is a huge kind of plastics, and the applications are extremely wide. In the EU15 member states, packaging are dominant user of plastic (38%), followed by building and
construction, household wares, automotive, electronics, and a variety of application. It will
show in the figure 2.1 about distribution of application of plastics. There are many types of
plastics. Plastics can be divided in thermoplast and thermosets. Thermoplast do not make a
chemical change when heated and can be molded again. The kind of thermoplast are

polythylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PE can
be classified in high density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and
linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). Thermosets can melt and take shape once, e.g.
after solidification they stay solid. Polyyurethane (PUR) is one of the most used thermosets.
Recycling thermosets is harder and can only be done in a chemical process. Figure 2.2
depicts the key plastics types used in the EU-27. Some plastic types are used predominantly
in spesific applications. For example, the use of PVC in packaging has been reduced in many
countries but in the packaging markets PE, PP, PET, and PS dominate. It is showed in Table
2.1.

Figure 2.1 Key aplication of plastics. Distribution is

based on data from the EU-15 member states

Figure 2.2 Key plastics types as used in the European

Union (EU-27). Based on data from Plastics Europe

TABLE 2.1 Typical Applications of Common Plastic Types

3. WHY RECYCLE AND HOW TO RECYCLE

If you are not already recycling, we explain how easy it is and how you can really
make a difference.
For those who already recycle, discover the positive effect your recycling efforts are making
and find out what else you could do.
a. Recycling conserves resources
When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to
consume natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by
extracting fresh, raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry. Recycling helps
conserve important raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future.

b. Recycling saves energy

Using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than
that required for producing new products from raw materials even when comparing all
associated costs, like transport.
Plus there are extra energy savings because more energy is required to extract, refine,
transport and process raw materials ready for industry compared with providing industryready materials.
c. Recycling helps protect the environment
Recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and
processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution.
As recycling saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle
climate change. Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of
CO2 a year the equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.
d. Recycling reduces landfill
When we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result
the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites reduces. There are over 1,500 landfill sites in the
UK, and in 2001, these sites produced a quarter of the UK's emissions of methane, a
powerful greenhouse gas.
How to recycle.
a. Give items a quick rinse using your left-over washing up water
b. Squash / flatten (where appropriate) - it saves space in your recycling bin!
c. Do not include plastic film lids or clingfilm

4. CONCLUSIONS
From that research we can conclude plastic recycling is still limited compared to
the most other bulk materials. Many countries around the world is increasing the
rates of recycling of plastics. The mean lifetime of plastics in most applications is
found to be approximately 7.1 years and characteristic time for phasing in the
recycling scheme is 5 years. Finally, currently a large part of the recovered plastic
is down cycled, or used as fuel to generate energy in industrial processes.
5. REFRENCES
From web (2015, March 15) http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/How-to-useyour-green-recycling-bin.aspx
From web (2015, March 15) http://www.recyclenow.com/what-to-do-with/paper

Shen, Li, Worrell, E. Plastic Recycling. Copernicus Institutes of Sustainable Development,

Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Retriviewed 2015, March 16 from
http://www.sciencedirect.com
Fletcher, L Brenton, Mackay, Michael E. 27 July 1995. A Model of plastics recycling: does
recycling reduce the amount of waste. Retriviewed 2015, March 16 from
http://www.sciencedirect.com