Uses Of Recycled Plastics
Plastic is more and more pervading every day life because of its durability, inexpensiveness and usefulness in various areas. Many of the products available on the market today have been made using recycled plastics. This is a process that not only saves money but it is good for the environment as well.
Recycled plastics have been used in the areas of packaging, construction and even textiles. Products like sleeping bags, carpets, car parts, plastic lumber and a plethora of reusable as well as throw-away containers are made using recycled plastics.
The benefit of plastic being a very durable material which is resistant to the elements makes it a popular choice in the construction and landscaping industries. Recycled plastics are used to construct bridges, fences, drainage pipes and floor tiles.
How Plastics Are Recycled
Recycling of plastics is a very intricate process that can be split into two stages, namely the sorting stage and the melting and remolding stage. During the sorting stage, plastics are taken and divided into groups depending on type. A number coding system has been established that lists from 1 thru 7; 1 being the easiest type of plastic to recycle and 7 being the most complex.
Once the sorting of plastics has been completed, it is then shredded into little flakes. The all important cleaning phase happens next to remove all impurities from the plastic flakes. Things like paper labels and contamination that may have gotten into the plastic from other waste products are removed through this cleaning process. Plastics that have been tainted result in spoiled batches which cannot be reused.
The plastic is then melted down into little pellets which are either sold to manufacturers to be used in carpets, clothing, floor tiles, toys and the like. It is important to note that plastics can never be reused to make the original template. Instead, completely different products are made from the recycled plastics.
Benefits Of Recycling Plastics
The biggest benefit of recycling plastic is that it greatly reduces the amount of oil required to make virgin plastic. This in turn leads to a decrease in the carbon footprint of plastic manufacturing companies. It also significantly slows the depletion of oil which is a non-renewable resource.
By reusing plastics in the manufacture of products like chairs, car bumpers and packaging a lot of money is saved and less harm is done to the environment as when virgin plastic is used. Using recycled plastics in construction is advantageous because the material is durable and cost-effective.
Making use of plastic lumber instead of wood saves a countless amount of trees each year. Also, by using less oil in the manufacture of plastics, there will be more of the valuable and non-renewable resource to make important things like petrol.
The recycling and reuse of plastics also save a lot of space in landfills where the non-biodegradable materials would have laid for thousands of years. This not only has important health benefits but environmental ones as well.
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