Plastic recycling - what is it and how does the process work?

Nowadays, it is basically impossible to give up plastic completely. Plastic is commonly used for packaging, toys, frames, window tubes and even clothes. An effective way to reduce its production is to recover plastic for reuse. What is plastic recycling?

Plastic recycling - what is it?

The low-cost manufacturing process of plastics has resulted in their extreme ubiquity. There is no doubt that plastic is a durable material that is used in many industries. Almost everyone uses this material on a daily basis, for example when using cosmetics or foodstuffs that are packaged with it.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of plastic is leading to environmental degradation. The consequence of its mass production is the generation of greenhouse gases, resulting in progressive climate change. Furthermore, plastic landfills pollute the seas and oceans, endangering the creatures that live in them. Plastic rubbish also has a not insignificant impact on the deterioration of soils, and therefore on the food that people obtain from crops.

There is no doubt that reducing the production of plastic is necessary. Therefore, as much material as possible should be reused by means of plastic recycling. What is plastic recycling? In a nutshell, the process is based on the appropriate preparation of products made from plastic so that it can be reused. A company that uses recycled packaging is InPost. This enables the company's customers to support the reuse of raw materials on a daily basis.

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What is plastic recycling?

There are several types of plastic recycling. Each of these is preceded by the appropriate separation of waste, shredding and washing. Only then is the plastic processed using the appropriate recycling method. One of these is chemical recycling, also known as feedstock recycling. The method is based on processing used products to obtain raw materials. An example would be using plastic bottles to make new packaging.

Material recycling of plastics, on the other hand, is based on the re-obtaining of the plastic, which is then used to make new usable products. For example, car mats are commonly made from material derived from tyres. Another method is energy recycling. This does not recover the material or raw material, but rather the energy in the form of solid, gaseous or liquid carriers.

Recycling plastics - how to separate plastics properly?

In order to be able to use any type of recycling of plastics, it is necessary to separate them properly. Responsible waste management should start at home for every user. It is therefore worth knowing how to separate plastics.

Plastic drinks bottles, aluminium cans, plastic bags, packaging and film should be placed in the metal and plastic bin. It is a good idea to remove any leftover food or cosmetics before the used packaging goes in the bin.

However, used batteries or medicine and paint containers should not be placed in a container marked in this way. This makes it very difficult to separate waste.

Separating and recycling plastics should go hand in hand with reducing their production. It is worth replacing plastic items with their ecological counterparts, for example, swapping a plastic carrier bag for a reusable bag.