Facts About Recycling Plastic
Obstacles
Recycling rates for plastic are lower than those of other materials, such as aluminum and newsprint, due to the complexity of sorting and consumer confusion about which plastics can be recycled. Resin codes are used as a method of categorizing polymer types in plastics. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has a resin code of 1. The resin identification code is usually stamped or printed on the bottom of plastic containers and surrounded by a triangle of arrows. The symbol does not always mean that an item can be recycled and only indicates the resin content.
Facts
1. Dyes, fillers, and other additives are difficult to economically remove from plastic polymers.
2. Plastics require greater processing to be recycled than materials like glass and metal.
3. PET flakes are used as raw material in the manufacturing of polyester clothing, pillows, carpets, and sometimes new PET bottles.
4. PET bottles can be used as is for solar disinfection (SODIS) of drinking water in developing countries. Water-filled bottles should be exposed to direct sunlight for at least 6 hours.
5. Bacteria will likely evolve the ability to metabolize plastics at much faster rates.
6. In 2006 a record high 1 billion kilograms of plastic bottles were recycled.
7. In the United States 70% of plastics are made primarily from domestic natural gas.
8. Americans use 25,000,000,000 plastic bottles every year.
9. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a huge mass of garbage, estimated around 80% plastic, located between San Francisco and Hawaii.
10. The most commonly recycled plastics are PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene).
11. More than 50% of the polyester carpet manufactured in the United States is made from recycled plastic bottles.
Sources
The information on this page has been compiled from various sources including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Worldwatch Institute, the American Forest and Paper Association, and the National Recycling Coalition.
