ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF PLASTIC RECYCLING

Plastic is one of the most versatile materials of our modern age. And yet, the
popularity of plastic is the problem. According to an article at 33 rd Square, we use 20
times more plastic than we did 50 years ago and masses of this material is finding
its way into landfill to spend hundreds of years taking up space. By recycling plastic,
the amount produced and wasted can be reduced whereas the process has short-
term advantages for the environment, the long term results arent so good.

GENERAL METHOD OF PLASTIC RECYCLING

The large scale plastic recycling basically involves the following:

Collection. Recyclable plastics are collected from homes and businesses by

local recycling schemes or from recycling facilities.
Sorting. Plastics are either sorted manually or sorted by advanced machines.
The plastic recyclables are further sorted into their different type. Any plastic
types that cannot be recycled are disposed in landfill.
Cleaning. At the recycling plant, the plastic is cleaned of any impurities such
as food waste, ink and labels, etc.
Grinding. The plastic is ground into flakes or chippings which then go
through the process of washing and sorting again.
Purification. The flakes and chippings are either purified with a chemical
solution or melted down to form plastic beads.
End-use. The flakes and beads are sent to a plastic manufacturing plant to
be melted down again for processing into new products.
Most of the time, these plastics are turned into bin liners, carrier bags, plastic
bottles, window frames, flooring, CD cases, drainage pipes and etc.

ADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC RECYCLING

1. Conservation of Natural Resources and Energy
Recycling plastic conserves the natural resources and energy that would be
required to produce plastic from scratch.
2. Reduction in Landfill Disposal
When plastic is recycled, less plastic is sent to landfill and thus, less of this
material takes up room in our environment for hundreds of years. In fact, recycling
one ton of plastic can save 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.
3. Ease of Recycling
 Plastics are becoming increasingly easy to recycle. Besides the invention of
new plastic recycling technology, governments all over the world have plastic
collection schemes in place.

DISADVANTAGES OF RECYCLING PLASTIC

1. Emission of Harmful Chemicals
The process of recycling plastic can be particularly harmful to the
environment. When the material is melted down, volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
are released into the atmosphere. These are harmful to nearby plant and animal
life.

2. Carbon Emission
As heat is required to melt plastic, the process generates carbon emissions.
These greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and are already taking an
effect on our planets climate.

3. Unsuitable for Food Packaging

While the VOCs released from recycling can harm the environment, they also
present health risks to people who use recycled plastic. Plastic resin is
manufactured from petroleum and this substance can leech into the foods that are
stored in recycled plastic containers. This isn't cited as a major threat but plastic
manufacturers are careful to use only a small amount of recycled plastic in food
packaging.

4. Downcycling
As plastic carries potential health threats, much of recycled plastic finds its
new home as a less useful product - this is referred to as downcyling. For example,
a plastic bottle might become plastic furniture and in turn there is still a demand to
produce new plastic for plastic bottles.

5. Short Term Use

After plastic has been recycled once, its very rarely suitable for a second
round of recycling. This means that the material will eventually end up in waste
despite its secondary, prolonged use. If plastic recycling continues in this way then
manufacturers will always have the same demand for new material.