Hello everyone, my name is Harry Brown. I am glad to welcome you to the nationwideplastics.net site.
To be honest, what I talk about here is a big part of my life. I lived like many people without thinking about the problems of pollution, recycling and the planet as a whole, until many years ago when I started traveling, expanding my horizons and getting to know the world.
I want to share my knowledge with you so that together we can be smarter and more caring towards the environment.
Recycling is the most important step, or more accurately, the only one that can be taken to tackle the issue of plastic pollution. It is difficult to overcome the environmental challenges facing the nation without first resolving the issue of plastic recycling, and alternative methods of garbage disposal that use similar materials would only serve to make the situation even more precarious. Burning plastic in landfills or other rudimentary low-temperature facilities results in the emission of exceedingly harmful compounds for human health, the most dangerous of which being dioxins. Incinerators built in the last century that use pyrolysis provide a partial answer to this issue; nevertheless, recycling offers not only a radical but also commercially viable option.
In addition, recycling, which can be done in a variety of ways, results in the creation of additional products for use in other sectors of the economy, reduces the amount of pollution that is caused to the natural environment, and makes it possible to significantly cut back on the use of primary non-renewable raw materials like oil and gas, as well as cut back on the amount of electricity used and the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. As a result, recycling plastic also makes a contribution to the fight against global warming.
Plastic has been around for a very long time, and in today’s world, this multipurpose material can be found almost everywhere. The most significant benefit of it is the cheap cost. Additionally, it is not only flexible but also lightweight, heat resistant, and waterproof. On the other hand, plastic is thought to be hazardous to both human health and the environment. Plastic trash takes anywhere from 100 to 800 years to degrade. We need to use less plastic if we want to lessen the impact that we have on the natural world. Or be able to manage it in a way that is both environmentally and safely responsible.
Why is it that we can’t simply bury the plastic?
Because it’s risky. Plastic trash is a major contributor to environmental contamination, which includes the contamination of soil, surface and ground water, as well as oceans and seas, and environmental activists are raising the alarm about this issue. Plastic waste takes far longer to break down in water than it does on land. Already now, eighty percent of the rubbish that floats in the world’s seas is made of plastic debris, which, over the course of time, transforms into microplastics that linger in the tissues of many different species of marine life. The ingestion of microplastics poses a threat to human health. Scientists believe that once it enters the body, it may contribute to the development of a variety of disorders, including bowel diseases, detrimental effects on the endocrine system, and other diseases. Additionally, if we don’t properly dispose of plastic containers, harmful chemicals like bisphenol A and phthalates might make their way into our systems. They have an effect on the immune system and have been linked to a variety of health issues, including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and infertility. As a result, it is worthwhile to use less or no plastic at all and to recycle the plastic items currently in one’s possession.
The several stages of the recycling process for plastic
1. The process of collecting and distributing
The gathering of post-consumer materials from private residences, commercial establishments, and public establishments is the first stage of the mechanical recycling process. This may be accomplished by the local government or by private corporations, with the latter option being the one that is most often chosen by enterprises.
One further option is to transport the plastics to community collection places, such as bins or facilities specifically dedicated for recycling. This might be anything as simple as a bottle bank on the corner of a street, or it could be something more complicated like a local garbage site with huge sections for different recyclable and non-recyclable forms of municipal solid waste (MSW).
2. Sorting + classifying
The sorting stage is the next one in the procedure for recycling plastic. Plastic comes in a variety of forms, each of which must be separated from the others before it can be recycled. (For a list of these forms, see below.) In addition to that, plastics might be classified based on other characteristics, such as color, thickness, and application. At the recycling plant, machines are responsible for performing this phase, which is an essential part of the process to improve the performance of the plants and prevent the contamination of final goods.
3. Washing
Washing is an important stage in the process of recycling plastic because it gets rid of some of the impurities that might hinder the operation or entirely damage a batch of recycled plastic. Washing eliminates some of the contaminants that can cause these problems. In this process, the impurities that are addressed include items like dirt and food residue in addition to product labels and adhesives that come from the products themselves. Even though plastic is often cleaned at this step, it is essential to keep in mind that this does not lessen the need of ensuring that plastics are as clean and free of pollutants as is humanly feasible before they are disposed of or collected.
4. Shredding
The shredded plastic is then put through shredders, which further reduce the size of the fragments to a considerably finer consistency. In contrast to plastic items that have been manufactured, these smaller fragments may be processed for reuse in the subsequent steps. Additionally, the resized bits of plastic may be utilized for different purposes without undergoing any additional processing. For example, they can be sold as a raw material or used as an ingredient inside asphalt.
When the plastic is cut up into tiny pieces, any contaminants that are still present may also be discovered. This is particularly true of impurities like as metal, which may not have been eliminated by washing but may be readily gathered with a magnet at this step. In this stage, the magnet is used.
5. Identifying and separating the various types of plastics
In this area, the plastic parts are evaluated to determine their kind and overall quality. The first step in the process involves sorting the particles of plastic depending on their density, which is determined by observing how they behave while suspended in water. After this, there is a test for something that is referred to as the “air classification,” which measures the thickness of the individual pieces of plastic. To do this, the shredded plastic is first placed in a wind tunnel, where the smaller, thinner bits float to the top and the bigger, thicker parts sink to the bottom.
6. Extruding + compounding
At this stage of the plastic recycling process, the shredded plastic is turned into a product that may be used by manufacturers. This is the last phase in the process. In order to create pellets, the shredded plastic is first heated and then crushed together. It is important to point out that it is not always feasible to compound all kinds, classifications, and quality of plastic at a single facility. Because of this, various grades of plastic are sometimes shipped to separate recycling facilities for the last phase in the recycling process.