Recycling of plastics

recycling of plastics

1. Recycling of Plastics

2. • 50 % of the plastic is used only once around the world. • Plastic accounts for around 10 % of the total waste we generate. • 51 % of plastic waste goes into landfills. • Plastic constitutes approximately 90 % of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface. • Plastic takes 500 – 1000 years to degrade. • Only around 27% of plastic bottles are recycled. • 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics. • Recycling one ton of plastic saves 1,000–2,000 gallons of gasoline (crude petroleum).

3. Why Recycle ? In landfill, both synthetic and naturally occurring polymers don’t get the necessary exposure to UV by microbes to degrade. Recycling is a viable alternative in getting back some of this energy in the case of some polymers instead of incineration.

4. Types of plastics

5. 5-Steps for Plastic Recycling 1. Collection 2. Manual Sorting 3. Chipping 4. Washing 5. Pelleting

6. 1.Collection The recycling facilities gather available recyclable plastic material in their area, such as from roadside collections, special recycling bins, or even directly from industries .

7. 2.Manual Sorting All plastic items that are collected are then sorted according to the various plastic types indicated by the plastic recycling symbols and codes on them. Unwanted non-plastic materials found in the piles are promptly taken out.

8. 3.Chipping After sorting, the sorted plastic products are prepared for melting by being cut into small pieces. The plastic items are fed into a machine which has sets of blades that slice through the material and break the plastic into tiny bits.

9. 4.Washing Residue of products originally contained in the plastic items and various other contaminants (e.g. paper labels, dirt) are removed. A particular wash solution consisting of an alkaline, cationic detergent and water are used to effectively get rid of all the contaminants on the plastic material.

10. 5.Pelleting The cleaned and chipped pieces of plastic are then melted down and put through a machine which shapes the melted plastic into thin noodle-like tubes. The plastic tubes are then cut into small pellets. The pellets are then ready to be reused and remade into new items.

11. Advantages Recycling one ton of plastic can save 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. Recycling plastic conserves the natural resources and energy that would be required to produce plastic from scratch. Protects Environment. Create Green Jobs.

12. Disadvantages When the material is melted down, VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are released into the atmosphere. After plastic has been recycled once, it’s very rarely suitable for a second round of recycling. Much of recycled plastic finds its new home as a less useful product. Setting up new recycling unit involves high cost.

13. THANK YOU