Everything you need to know about the importance of plastic recycling
Plastic recycling is of particular importance in different societies and is known as the black gold industry. Because, due to the growth of the population of different countries, the use of polymer products has expanded and its recycling has become an economic and environmental necessity that should be given serious attention by the authorities. In this article, we intend to explain the importance of plastic recycling and its advantages and disadvantages.
So, for detailed information in this regard, stay with us until the end of this article.
What is the importance of plastic recycling?
Nowadays, plastic is used in various industries, so the volume of production of its various products is very large. According to the statistics and evidence provided, the production of 1.5 tons of plastic in 1950 has reached 200 million tons in 2002. This rate has grown significantly and currently the production of plastic products has increased by 300 million tons.
The important issue is where does this high volume of plastic accumulate after use? Or how is it disposed of?
The fact is that about 4 to 12 million tons of plastic waste enters rivers and seas annually and pollutes the water. The main issue of the importance of plastic recycling is that plastic is a polymer and, unlike materials such as paper, wood or glass and iron, it does not decompose easily and remains in the environment.
Not all of the plastic produced annually enters the recycling cycle. That is why plastic pollution is a serious environmental issue that needs to be addressed. The best way to solve this problem is to recycle plastic using the advanced technology that is available.
What are the benefits of plastic recycling?
The process of recycling plastic products and waste and reprocessing them is associated with many benefits for the environment, profitability for investors, and economic benefits for countries.
Given the importance of plastic recycling, many people are very interested in doing work related to processing its waste and investing in it. The following are the most important benefits of recycling plastic waste.
Reducing the plastic stain in the Pacific Ocean
Plastic waste that is released into rivers and seas is dumped into the ocean. The approximate amount of plastic waste released into the oceans is about 8 million tons per year. The Pacific Ocean plastic stain has become about 16 times larger than before due to the accumulation of garbage over the past three years and has reached an area of about 1.6 million square kilometers. To understand the importance of the size of the Pacific Ocean plastic stain, it is better to know that this area is approximately equal to the area of Iran. This large volume of plastic waste endangers the health of aquatic animals, seabirds, and humans, highlighting the importance of plastic recycling.
Preventing diseases
One of the things that shows the importance of plastic recycling is preventing diseases. It is important to know that the natural decomposition process of plastic is very slow and takes about 350 years or more, and on the other hand, it is necessary to have a large space available for the accumulation of waste.
In the decomposition and conversion of plastic into microplastics, millions of microplastic particles are released into the air and enter the respiratory and digestive systems of humans, causing various diseases. However, by carrying out the plastic recycling process, it is possible to prevent the release of plastic waste into the environment and causing diseases.
The importance of plastic recycling in reducing oil consumption
Plastic is produced from derivatives of crude oil or natural gas. About 6 to 10 percent of crude oil is used to produce plastic. While recycling plastic can save on crude oil consumption. The importance of recycling plastic is that it can protect non-renewable fossil fuels and reduce energy consumption.
Reducing greenhouse gases
One way to dispose of plastic waste is to burn plastic materials, which produces large amounts of greenhouse gases and CO2. This method can cause damage to the environment and create many problems. One of the importance of recycling plastic is that it reduces the production of greenhouse gases.
The importance of plastic recycling in economic growth
To understand the importance of plastic recycling, it is necessary to know that dozens of tons of wet and dry waste are produced every day in all parts of the world, of which 10 to 15 percent are plastic products. On average, 91 percent of plastic waste is buried or burned or left in nature, and only 9 percent of various plastic waste enters the recycling process.
But the importance of plastic recycling is that this small percentage of plastic waste, if separated and recycled, is converted into widely used plastic granules and can have significant economic savings.
Using a variety of industrial equipment and machinery and advanced technologies, plastic waste is converted into various types of polyethylene, nylon, polypropylene or other granules during the recycling process. The possibility of exporting granules to neighboring countries prevents the outflow of foreign exchange, as well as earning foreign exchange for the country and promoting the economy.
Application of Polyethylene Granules
One of the most widely used granules produced from recycling plastic waste is polyethylene granules. Its recycling process is relatively easy and it is collected in the form of pellets or powder in a hopper and after being placed in a heated chamber, they are set in motion by the action of a rotating screw.
This material is used in the manufacture of plastic containers and spoons, small and large bottles, and the manufacture of bags. Given that polyethylene is made in two types of high and low density, one of the types of polyethylene can be used depending on the application.
Export of polyethylene granules from plastic recycling is one of the most popular export products of the country, which has been able to generate favorable foreign exchange for the country.
Polypropylene granules
Another widely used granule in the processing of plastic waste is polypropylene granules. This product is different from other granules in terms of structure and properties and is used to produce fibers, produce soda cans, produce films or sheets, tubes or pipes for hot water transmission or water and sewage pipes.
The abundant profits and income of several hundred million per month have made the importance of plastic recycling more clear than ever, and many people are thinking about collecting and recycling these products. If all types of plastic are separated from municipal waste, suitable waste will be available for the recycling process.
What are the disadvantages of plastic recycling?
Various plastic wastes such as nylon bags, water and soda bottles and other types of plastic products are produced daily. All of these products can be used in the waste recycling process. Although the importance of plastic recycling is clear, this process is accompanied by the following disadvantages.
Incompatibility of plastics
To recycle plastic products, equipment such as incinerators are used that convert plastic materials into usable resin materials. This process is easy to carry out and has some advantages, but the problem we face in carrying out this process is that different plastic products are not compatible with each other. That is, you cannot put all plastic items together in the machine and do the recycling work.
First, you need to know which plastics are recyclable. So, it is necessary for people to manually do the work of separating plastics. Manually separating waste is both a time-consuming and costly process.
Although in some cases mixed plastics are used for recycling, it is better to know that the products produced from these materials do not have the required quality. Because the physical and chemical properties of plastics may differ. In addition to separating plastics in terms of properties, it is better to separate them based on color.
Because the more carefully and meticulously the separation is done, the greater the recycling profit and the higher the quality of the plastic obtained from recycling.
Using secondary materials in plastic recycling
Many products and products that are available as recycled plastic are not made of 100% plastic. Materials such as paper and ink are also added to the composition of many of these products.
Limited use of recycled plastics
After recycling, plastic does not have the same quality as before, and even some recycled goods can no longer be used. For example, plastic containers used to store pesticides can no longer be recycled. It is also important to know that recycled plastics cannot be used for food packaging or food containers, as it can be harmful to health.