Plastik Overview:

Plastic is one of the most popular and useful materials of modern times. However, its popularity is part of the problem: we now use about 20 times more plastic than we did 50 years ago. However, we can optimise the lifespan of plastics by reusing and recycling items as many times as possible.

Did you know?

92% of all UK local authorities now offer collection facilities for plastic bottles either from your kerbside collection scheme or at recycling centres.

What about other plastics?

A recent study demonstated mixed plastics packaging (trays, tubs, pots, films etc) can be mechanically recycled and is both economically and environmentally effective to do so. Further work is being conducted in this area and it is hoped that the UK will have comprehensive infrastructure for the collection, sorting and reprocessing of these valuable resources in the UK in the near future. You can check the postcode locator to find out which plastics your local authority collects. How is it recycled? Plastics are:-

sorted shredded washed melted pelletised It is a two-stage process:

Sorting is mainly done automatically with a manual polish Plastic is either melted down directly and moulded into a new shape, or shredded into flakes then melted down before being processed into granulates

Environmental effect Plastic is a popular, useful material but we use a lot of it . However, by optimising the lifespan of plastics by reusing and recycling items as many times as possible, i.e.

by recycling used plastic bottles into new ones, we can reduce our need to create new plastic, thus:

Conserving non-renewable fossil fuels (oil) Reducing the consumption of energy used Reducing the amount of solid waste going to landfill Reducing the emission of gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Problems and issue There are many different types of plastic in use, some of which we can recycle in the UK and other types including that used to make yoghurt pots and margarine tubs for example - that require new technology which is not currently available here, to recycle it efficiently. This means that some plastic still goes to landfill, some is incinerated and some shipped abroad for recycling and foreign manufacturing reuse.

There are currently huge investments being made in Britain into plastics recycling technology to help our domestic recycling facilities cope with the variety of plastics in use and it wont be long before we operate a more efficient recycling system for all different types of plastic packaging. In the meantime we can all do our bit to improve things now. Recycling plastic bottles is an easy way. These are usually made from two easily recyclable plastics PET and HDPE and can be recycled by most of us via our kerbside collection scheme or local recycling centres. Made from recycled There is a wide range of products made from recycled plastic, including:-

polyethylene bin liners and carrier bags plastic bottles flooring and window frames building insulation board video and compact disc cassette cases fencing and garden furniture water butts, garden sheds and composters seed trays fleeces fibre filling for sleeping bags and duvets variety of office accessories

The different type

The main types of plastics are:

Polyethylene terephthalate - Fizzy drink bottles and oven-ready meal trays High-density polyethylene - Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids. Polyvinyl chloride - Food trays, cling film, bottles for squash, mineral water and shampoo Low density polyethylene - Carrier bags and bin liners. Polypropylene - Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays. Polystyrene - Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys Any other plastics that do not fall into any of the above categories. An example is melamine, which is often used in plastic plates and cups. If you look on the plastics products you buy, you should spot the little symbol.

Degradable plastics - These are oil based and either eventually break down or disperse in to smaller fragments. These may then potentially biodegrade or break down further to reduce the material to water, CO2, biomass (plant matter) and trace elements.

Biodegradable plastics - These should break down cleanly, in a defined time period, to form simple molecules found in the environment such as carbon dioxide and water.

The predominant mechanism which decomposes biodegradable plastics is the action of micro-organisms which produces:

carbon dioxide methane water inorganic compounds, or biomass Compostable plastics - These are a subset of biodegradable plastics which must demonstrate that they biodegrade and disintegrate completely in a compost bin or system during the 3-4 months composting process. It refers to 'industrial

composting' where the compost reaches higher temperatures than home composting . Disposal of degradable and biodegradable plastics - These plastics will not degrade effectively in a landfill site and could potentially hinder the quality of recycled plastic if they enter a conventional plastics recycling system.