Plastic Recycling: The Facts You Need to Know

If you have heard about the Plastic Continent -- the floating island of plastic twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean -- then you understand how crucial it is to recycle plastic. Right now, only 5% of plastics worldwide are recycled. Some of this is ignorance: most of the world still simply doesn't understand the danger plastics pose to our environment and our food chain. But plastics themselves are complicated. Even if you want to recycle your plastics, and even if you dutifully separate plastics from the rest of your household waste and put it out on the curb in its blue or green recycle bin, your plastics might still end up in the Plastic Continent. Why is this?

Different Types of Plastic

Look at the underneath side of a plastic bottle or plastic container. Inside the familiar reduce, reuse, recycle triangle (“chasing arrows”) logo is a number between one and seven. This number indicates what kind of plastic that container is made from. Some plastics are easy to recycle, but other plastics are much harder to recycle. As a result, most municipal recycling facilities only recycle the easiest plastics: plastics 1 and 2. What happens to plastics 3 through 7? At some recycling facilities, these are gathered until they have enough to send to a larger recycling facility that does recycle these types of plastics. But at other recycling facilities, the same thing happens to plastics 3 through 7 as what would have happened at your house if you didn't have that handy recycling bin: it goes to the landfill, or the Pacific's Plastic Continent.

Plastics #1 and #2

Plastic #1 is polyethelyne terephthalate (PET). This is the most commonly used plastic, and it\'s the easiest to recycle. Your plastic soda bottle, salad dressing bottle, and cooking oil bottle are probably all made from PET. More than 2.3 billion pounds of PET are recycled annually.

Plastic #2 is high density polyethelene (HDPE). Most milk jugs, detergent bottles, and many food containers are made from HDPE. Unfortunately, some plastics marked with a #2, such as yogurt cups, are not actually recyclable. This is because other chemicals have been added to the plastic in order to mold it into the desired shape. These additives make recycling some of these #2 items basically impossible.

Plastics #1 and #2 make up 96% of all the plastic bottles produced in the United States. Nevertheless, 80% of plastic bottles still wind up in a landfill, even though 80% of Americans have access to a method for recycling these bottles.

Plastics #3 through #7

The rest of the plastics make up pretty much everything that\'s not a plastic bottle. Just think of all the plastics in your home -- your toothbrush, cling wrap, plastic bowls, plastic cups, drinking straws, last night\'s leftovers, that almost-impossible-to-open package your new iPhone came in, your computer, your DVD cases... plastic is everywhere.

These plastics can all be categorized as the plastics #3 through #7. None of them are particularly easy to recycle, so even though your recycling guy will take it from your curb, that doesn't necessarily mean it will become tomorrow's soda bottle. However, by researching recycling facilities in your area, you can find places to recycle these less common plastics.

The Bottom Line When it Comes to Plastic Recycling

Plastic is much harder to recycle than other materials. Because it breaks down during the recycling process, it can only be recycled so many times -- this is why many recyclers prefer so-called “virgin plastics”, or plastics that haven't been recycled before because they make a better product. That means that even if you do the best you can to recycle all your plastics, some of them might still wind up in the dump.

The clear conclusion we must draw is that even the most conscientious recycling is not enough when it comes to plastics: ultimately, we have to reduce our consumption. The process of producing plastics, many plastics themselves, and the aftermath of plastic use can all be described as toxic. Nearly all manufacturing processes for the different types of plastic listed above involve some degree of toxicity, and as these plastics disintegrate in landfills or in the ocean, these toxic chemicals find their ways back into our soils, our water, our food, and our bodies.

So please recycle plastic. But better yet, stop buying plastic wherever possible.

Source: amazines.com

Final shortlist announced for Bioplastics Award

The shortlist of finalists has been announced today for the 2010 Bioplastics Award, an international competition organised jointly by PRW’s sister publication European Plastics News and Bioplastics Magazine.

The five finalists have been selected from more than 20 high quality proposals entered from around the world. The shortlisted companies and products are (without any ranking):

FKuR/Fujitsu: Eco Keyboard Fujitsu KBPC PX ECO

Fujitsu Technology Solutions is the leading IT infrastructure provider in Europe. Its Eco keyboard (KBPC PX ECO) was developed using materials from German company FKuR Kunststoff, enabling 45% of the plastics components to be replaced by materials made from renewable resources. Biograde C 7500 CL was chosen for the keyboard base.

ICO: ‘Green Planet’ Writing Instruments and Office Supplies

Hungarian company ICO Stationery Manufacturing produces a full range of office products made from PLA, including pens, paperclip holders, letter openers, staplers, punches and pen stands. Aside from their renewable corn source, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions, the products are fully compostable.

Proganic: Injection Mouldable PHA Compound

Germany-based Proganic has developed a new bio-polymer compound based on PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates) blended with renewable vegetable oils, waxes and natural minerals. It can be used as a replacement for a variety of thermoplastics including PP and ABS. The Proganic compound is home compostable in both open and closed composters at 20°C. It is currently being used by Propper of Germany to produce watering cans, flower pots, self adhesive hooks, egg cups and spoons, and strainers.

Toyota – Bioplastics Applications on the SAI Hybrid Car

The Toyota Passenger Vehicle Development Center 2 at Toyota Motors Corporation has been active in the area of bioplastics since 2003. The successful implementation of bioplastics in its new luxury Hybrid Car, the ‘SAI‘, is an outstanding example of the application of a bioplastics materials in a wide variety of application areas.

EconCore – PLA Honeycomb Sandwich Structure

EconCore of Belgium has developed a continuous production technology to manufacture a PLA-based lightweight hexagonal honeycomb structural sheet. The process sandwiches the core between two skins – made of either 100% PLA or a PLA flax composite – in a single production step. The lightweight structure is 100% renewable, fully compostable and reduces overall material use, keeping cost down.

The Bioplastics Award is intended to recognise innovation, success and achievement by manufacturers, processors and users of bio-based plastic materials.

 http://www.prw.com

Recycling Specialist With A New Web Site

Prospects and business partners of pekutherm Plastics GmbH visit the new website of the company that considers itself one of Europe's most efficient recyclers for clear thermoplastics, even faster. The services and products presented there now clearly structured into four areas:

• The category , Recycling  indicates the purchase of industrial waste plastics PMMA and PC, to high-quality pellets and processed Recompounds pekutherm.

• In , CD / DVD recycling  learn from interested companies, municipalities, government agencies and associations, as is used in a party disk can transform valuable raw material for all.

• In the category , toll processing  pekutherm presents itself as a professional partner for the plastics processing industry when it crystal-clear as well as engineering plastics such as PMMA, PC, SAN, ABS or PA is about.

• products are of high quality recycled pekutherm, efficient cylinder cleaning granules and the powerful oil Binder FLUISORB ®.

In all areas of the site provides opportunities for fast contact. Forms can be prepared on Request Pick-up or place orders directly. Who wants to be a newsletter informed on the activities of pekutherm, found under "Contact" the direct link for free subscription.

Benefit of Plastic Recycling and Its Application

If we take the look of plastic use in our lives then plastics came into our lives in the 1950's; however the question is the “safe use of plastics”. Plastics is a part of our everyday living from cups to auto parts. But it soon became damage on our environment.

Plastic is not biodegradable so how to dispose of it was a problem.

To cope up with this question plastic recycling” is considered as one of the advantageous solution. A program for recycling plastic has been started and it has a code which marks disposable as well as recyclable plastic containers.

We all are familiar with the three arrows that make up a triangle. These codes are generally originated on various plastics and within the triangle, there is generally a number. These numbers tell the grade of recycling your plastic container falls into.

Plastic Recycling is a multifaceted process because different types of plastics cannot be mixed before recycling. Plastics of different polymer structures as well as resin composition are identified by using standard codes on the basis of their melting and crushing capacity. 

Plastic materials are identified under a particular code can be mixed and recycled with other plastics of the same code. Plastic materials consist of a few dyes, fillers and additives, which are not easily recyclable.

In this internet world at b2b plastic portal you can get the vast idea for different recycle plastic, processing machines, recycling machinery, used machines, plastic goods, plastic news, plastic market report, plastic manufacturer, plastic exports, plastic business offers, plastic exhibition, plastic events, plastic companies, plastic, plastic industry and more.

Advantages of recycling plastic to environment:

Leads to oil conservation: Having oil as important element, plastic recycling saves four barrels of oil. However; the oil prices are soaring day by day, the prices of basic needs of people like food, gas, products and other commodities is also increasing. So, recycling of plastic is preferred as it consumes less oil compared to manufacturing of original plastic materials.

Decrease Discharge of Greenhouse Gas: As the number of steps involved in recycling of plastic is fewer, it consumes less energy and creates less pollution. So, green house gases are less emitted.

Help to conserve energy: Recycling of plastic needs very less energy so in this way it saves twelve thousand BTUs (British Thermal Unit) when one pound of PET bottles are recycled.

Landfills can be recovered: These days, one of the important problems being faced is, there are no places to dump plastic waste as all of them are filled. So, to reduce dumping of plastic waste into landfills then recycling plastic is an effective solution.

If we think about different applications of recycled plastic then polyethylene bin liners, carrier bags, PVC sewer pipes, flooring, window frames, building insulation board, video and compact disc cassette cases, fencing, garden furniture, water butts, garden sheds, composters, seed trays, anoraks, fleeces, fibre filling for sleeping bags and duvets, variety of office accessories and more products are made from recycled plastic.

However, this recycle waste plastic procedure involves more tedious labor for sorting plastic wastes as per the color & type; and more over, as the worth of material is very less, it is not profitable. Though, it is ideal method as 25% of dumping ground can be recovered, if plastic materials are recycled.

With plastics recycling process, we can reduce oil (non-renewable source) consumption, as manufacturing of original plastic involves huge amount of petroleum. As per the study of recycling of plastic, revealed 1.8 tonnes of oil is saved for every one tonne of polythene recycled. Water usage in manufacturing original plastic is 90% more compare the water used in the process of recycle plastic.

So with the above listed point you can see how recycling of plastic is an excellent strategy to guard our environment from pollution as well as to save non-renewable sources.

For More Details Please Visit Us At :  Plastic Industry | Plastic Trade Portal | Plastic Recycling | Global Plastic B2B Marketplace | Online Plastic B2B Trade Portal

Basics Information About Plastic

Nowadays, plastic becomes an essential part of our daily life. However, plastic world market is growing very fast as compare to any other market of the world. 
 
The word plastic is derived from the Greek word "plastikos" meaning capable of being shaped or molded, from plastos meaning molded.It refers to their malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows them to be cast, pressed, or extruded into a variety of shapes—such as films, fibers, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more.

What is plastic?

Plastic is a common name for Polymers: materials made of long strings of carbon and other elements. Each unit in a string is called a monomer, and is a chemical usually derived from oil.

The monomer is made into polymer by chain-linking reactions. This is like making a daisy chain. Instead of flowers, carbon atoms are joined together. The appearance of the daisy chain will be different if you use different coloured flowers, and so will polymers.

There are many different types of plastic, depending on the starting monomer selected, the length of polymer chains, and the type of modifying compounds added. Each plastic has been developed for a special purpose.
There are two main groups of plastics:

1. THERMOPLASTICS soften with heat and harden with cooling.

    * Some typical thermoplastics are: Acrylic (Perspex)
    * Acrylo-nitrile (Nylon)
    * Polyethylene (Polythene)
    * Polypropylene
    * Poly Vinyl Acetate (PVA)
    * Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
    * Polystyrene and ABS
    * PTFE (Teflon)

2. THERMOSETS are cured or hardened by heat.

Some typical thermosets are:

    * Bakelite
    * Epoxy
    * Melamine
    * Polyester
    * Polyurethane

Properties

Plastics are used because they are:

    * Attractive
    * Hard and slippery
    * Soft and rubbery
    * Tough and slippery
    * Flexible
    * Good insulators of heat or electricity
    * Light weight
    * Hygienic
    * Non-rusting
    * Easy to shape and colour
    * Cheap

The tremendous growth of the plastics industry is expected to continue..The factors that have contributed to this growth include the energy efficiency of plastic world market. All studies show that it takes less energy to make a product from plastics than just about any other material.

Steps Of Plastic Recycling Process

Nowadays, plastic becomes an essential part of our daily life. However, plastic world market is growing very fast as compare to any other market of the world so industrialist have to take care that  their new inventions will not affect the planet environment as well as health of human beings. Plastic recycling is the process of collecting certain materials that would otherwise be considered waste — like old metal, paper, wood, or plastic for example — and turning them into new “recycled” products.

The whole plastic recycling process is described by seven steps as described below:

Steps of Plastic Recycling Process

Some plastics for recycling :-

1 - PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephalate Ethylene)
Light weight, low-priced, and easy to fabricate, Polyethylene Terephalate Ethylene is the most prevalent plastic material in use today. PET is primarily used in beverage bottles, food receptacles, and peanut butter containers. It can be remade into polar fleece, fiber, carpet, etc. The requirement for this plastic among recyclers is relatively strong, but at present, the recycling rate for this material has remained low at 20%.

2 - HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
High Density Polyethylene is more durable and more impervious to chemical degeneration, this material poses a relatively low chance of spreading chemicals when used as container for food and drinks. It is largely used as containers for everyday household chemicals (shampoos, degreasers, etc.), juice bottles, milk jugs, etc. This can be reused into floor tile, drainage, new HDPE bottles, pipes, etc.

3 - PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
PVC has been tagged as a health hazard - it has been noted to typically drain chemicals when used as containers. PVC is mainly used for piping, window cleaner bottles, siding, etc. It has chlorine and will dispense toxins if burned. PVC should not be used in food preparation or food packaging. It can be reprocessed into mudflaps, panels, mats, etc.

4 - LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene ) LDPE is the material present in plastic bags, clothing, furnitures, etc. Resilient and flexible, it is perfect for packaging, insulation, and sealing. LDPE, through many curbside recycling programs, can be reconstituted into cans, compost bins, and landscaping tiles.

5 - PP (Polypropylene)
Polypropylene is most suited for boiling fluid receptacles and is likewise made into brooms, straws, ketchup bottles, etc. PP can be reprocessed into rakes, brooms, trays, etc.

6 - PS (Polystyrene)
PS is the top component for insulation and is used in foam products like expanded polystyrene (EPS), commonly known as styrofoam. It is found in carry-out food containers, meat trays, CD cases. PS contains benzene, a cancer-causing substance and should not be burned. It is reprocessed into insulation, packaging, plant beds, etc.

7 - OTHER (Polycarbonate)
For Plastic Recycling
7 - OTHER signifies materials not belonging to any of the other 6 resin categories. OTHER may also signify a hybrid resin made up of a mishmash of those materials. It is mainly found in children feeding bottles, flak jackets, business signages, five-gallon water jugs, etc. It can be recycled into plastic planks and other tailor-made objects.

Not all number 7 plastics are polycarbonate, a handful are even plant-based. Polycarbonate has become the axis of dispute in recent years, as it is discovered to leach BPA (bisphenol A), a hormonal disruptor that may disastrously influence gestation and fetal growth.