With all these problems about plastic we try to come up with solutions more and more often so here’s what you need to know if you’re thinking that recycling can be a solution.
First, you need to know what kind of plastic can be recyclable and if this sounds new to you, you should know that there are different types of plastic that big industries use to build different types of things.
This is the well-known types of plastics and their use:
- Polyamide (usually called nylon) – Women’s stockings, gears, car parts, toothbrush bristles
- Polycarbonate – bulletproof glass, compact discs, DVDs.
- Polyethylene – tubes, bottles, shopping bags, milk jugs, body armor (made with polyethylene with especially long chains)
- Polyethylene terephtalate (called PET when used for bottles, and polyester when used for clothes or other materials)
- Polypropylene – food containers, chairs
- Polystyrene – CD cases, plastic cups, plastic forks and knives
- Polyurethane – rubber, foam, shiny coatings on wood and tile
- Polyvinyl chloride (called PVC, usually) – pipes (chemicals can make PVC softer for toys and cushions)
As I mention before there are some plastics that can recyclable and some others that can not, here is the link of 6 things that can be recycled and 13 that absolutely can’t.
Know your Plastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTelxi3MjU
Now, recycling sounds such a great idea but, did you know that only 9% of all the plastic that gets produces can be recycled? So, around 60% of the plastic that was produced in the 1950s is still surrounding us. In 2016 there was a picture of a yogurt cup found on the beach with a 1975 date, isn’t this scary? All this plastic that we produce will last longer than our existence.
Also, plastic can be recycled only if there is a company or an industry willing to reuse it if no one buys the plastic that has been recycled then, this plastic ends up in landfills or the ocean. For example, have you seen how Adidas have a whole line of sneakers made of ocean plastic? This is because they buy a certain amount of plastic that is found in the ocean to reuse it and make these sneakers.
This is why we need to focus more on reducing instead of recycling because recycling means that we keep consuming plastic from big companies. Which means that the same amount of plastic keeps being produced but, if we reduce our consumerism of plastic, the demand would drop little by little, and that would make a difference in the future.
