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An average household throws away 45 kg of plastic
a year.
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Are
made from oil
Oil
is a fossil fuel so it is a non-renewable resource. It took millions of
years to form under great pressure under the ground, from dead plants
and will probably run out in the next half century.
Do
not rot / are not biodegradable
They will stay in the ground forever
Produce poisonous gases (dioxins) when burnt in incinerators
Are
difficult to sort into types for recycling
There are 6 main types which can be sorted by the number printed on them
or by X-ray machines which measure the chlorine content
They take up a lot of space and transporting them to a plastics recycling plant is a problem
"Lightweighting"
of plastic products has reduced the amount of material used and made them
easier to crush
e. g. Carrier bags reduced from 47mm thick to 25mm Yoghurt pots from 12g
to 5g
New types of plastics include biodegradable and photo degradable ones. There is even research into genetically modified plants producing biodegradable plastic! These will have limited use. Think of the problems of plastics which break down in the light!
Many products can be made from recycled plastic eg bin liners, carrier bags, pipes, garden furniture, video and CD cases and fleeces to name a few!
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP
THE PLASTICS WASTE PROBLEM?
For more information contact
www.tecweb.com/recoup