essay on recycle plastic

Essay on Recycling of Plastic

Students are often asked to write an essay on Recycling of Plastic in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Recycling of Plastic

Understanding plastic recycling.

Plastic recycling is the process of recovering waste plastic and reprocessing it into useful products. This helps in reducing the amount of waste going to landfills.

Importance of Plastic Recycling

Recycling plastic is crucial. It reduces pollution and saves natural resources. When we recycle, we use less oil, water, and energy compared to making new plastic.

How is Plastic Recycled?

Plastic recycling involves three steps: collection, sorting, and processing. Collected plastic is sorted by type, cleaned, and then melted to create new items.

Our Role in Plastic Recycling

We can help by reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic. Let’s start recycling today for a better tomorrow.

250 Words Essay on Recycling of Plastic

Introduction.

Plastic recycling, a critical component of waste management, is the process of recovering and repurposing plastic waste. This process is essential in mitigating the detrimental effects of plastic pollution on our environment, and is increasingly recognized as a necessity to maintain ecological balance.

The Imperative of Plastic Recycling

Plastic, due to its durability and versatility, has become an integral part of human life. However, its non-biodegradable nature poses a significant threat to our environment. Millions of tons of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans annually, causing harm to marine life and ecosystems. Plastic recycling, therefore, is not a choice but an imperative.

Process of Plastic Recycling

The recycling process involves collecting plastic waste, sorting it based on its resin content, cleaning, shredding, melting, and finally molding it into new products. This process not only reduces the amount of waste going into landfills and oceans but also conserves resources by reducing the need for new plastic production.

Challenges and Solutions

Despite its benefits, the plastic recycling rate remains low due to challenges like inefficient collection systems, lack of recycling infrastructure, and the complex nature of plastic waste. However, advancements in technology, like innovative sorting techniques and biodegradable plastics, coupled with proactive policies and public awareness, can significantly improve the current scenario.

In conclusion, plastic recycling is a crucial practice that requires collective effort. As responsible inhabitants of this planet, we must strive to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics, thereby contributing to a sustainable future.

500 Words Essay on Recycling of Plastic

Plastic, a material once celebrated for its durability and versatility, has become a symbol of environmental crisis. The same properties that made plastic an innovative material have led to its overuse, causing significant harm to the environment. To mitigate this, recycling plastic has emerged as a key strategy. However, the process is complex and requires a comprehensive understanding.

The Problem with Plastic

Plastics are synthetic polymers made from fossil fuels, primarily petroleum and natural gas. Their durability comes from the tightly bonded, long-chain polymer structure that does not easily break down. While this makes plastic a valuable material for a myriad of applications, it also means that it persists in the environment for hundreds of years.

The sheer volume of plastic waste is staggering. According to a 2017 study published in the journal Science Advances, of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic produced since the 1950s, only 9% has been recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, incinerators, or the natural environment, with devastating consequences for wildlife, ecosystems, and human health.

The Process of Plastic Recycling

Plastic recycling involves collecting plastic waste, sorting it by type, cleaning, shredding, melting, and remolding it into new products. However, not all plastics are recyclable. The resin identification code found on plastic products (numbered 1 to 7) indicates the type of plastic and its recyclability.

Recycling plastic is a complex process, fraught with challenges. The sorting process is labor-intensive and often inaccurate, leading to contamination. Different types of plastic require different processing conditions, making mixed plastic waste difficult to recycle. Furthermore, recycled plastic often has lower quality and functionality than virgin plastic, limiting its applications.

Advancements in Plastic Recycling

Despite these challenges, advancements in technology are making plastic recycling more efficient and effective. Innovations include automated sorting technologies, chemical recycling methods that break down plastic to its molecular components, and biodegradable plastics that decompose under specific conditions.

The Role of Individuals and Institutions

While technological advancements are crucial, the success of plastic recycling also depends on individual actions and institutional policies. Individuals can contribute by reducing plastic consumption, reusing plastic items, and recycling properly. Institutions, on the other hand, can implement policies that encourage plastic recycling, such as extended producer responsibility (EPR), which holds producers accountable for the end-of-life management of their products.

Recycling plastic is a critical strategy in the fight against plastic pollution. However, it is not a panacea. A holistic approach that combines recycling with reduction, reuse, and redesign is necessary to tackle the plastic crisis. By understanding the complexities of plastic recycling, we can make informed choices that contribute to a more sustainable future.

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What’s recyclable, what becomes trash — and   why

Every year, the average American goes through more than 250 pounds of plastic waste, and much of that comes from packaging. So what do we do with it   all?

Your recycling bin is part of the solution, but many of us are confused about what we should be putting in there. What’s recyclable in one community could be trash in   another.

This interactive explores some of the plastics the recycling system was designed to handle and explains why other plastic packaging shouldn’t go in your recycling   bin.

Let’s take a look at some items you might pick up at the grocery   store.

Plastic wrap

Not recyclable curbside.

At the store we find it covering vegetables, meats and cheeses. It’s common, but it can’t be recycled because it’s hard to deal with at the material recovery facility, or MRF. The MRF is where items collected from residences, offices and more through public and private recycling programs are taken to be sorted, baled and sold. The thin film gets wrapped around the equipment and can bring the operation to a   standstill.

Small plastics

Not usually recyclable, but check with your local department of public works or recycling   program.

Small plastics, roughly 3 inches or smaller, also can cause problems for recycling equipment. Bread bag clips, pill packaging, single-use condiment pouches — all of these small pieces get caught or fall between the belts and gears of the machinery at the MRF. They end up being treated as trash. Plastic tampon applicators are not recyclable; just throw them   away.

Flexible packaging

Not recyclable curbside. Check the packaging for more   information.

This type of packaging flattens out on the MRF’s conveyor belt and ends up being incorrectly sorted and mixed with paper, rendering the whole bale   unsellable.

Even if pouches were collected and separated by recyclers, there would be no one to buy them because there aren’t yet products or end markets for which this type of plastic would be   useful.

Flexible packaging such as potato chip bags are made from layers of different types of plastic and often are lined with aluminum. It’s not possible to easily separate the layers and capture the desired   resin.

Not recyclable. Mail-in recycling companies such as TerraCycle say they will take some of these   items.

Like flexible packaging, these containers challenge the recycling system because they’re made of several different types of plastic: the shiny adhesive labels are one plastic, the protective cap another, and a twistable gear can be yet   another.

Beverage bottles

Recyclable. Be sure to remove the plastic film label, which isn’t   recyclable.

These are the types of items the recycling system was developed to handle. The containers are firm, they don’t flatten out like paper and they’re made from a kind of plastic that manufacturers can easily sell for making products such as carpet, fleece clothing or even more plastic   bottles.

As for the caps, some sorting facilities want people to keep them on while others say to take them off. It depends on what equipment the local materials recovery facility has. If you keep them on and the MRF can’t process them, the caps can become dangerous. Bottles are subjected to high pressure in the sorting and baling process, which can force caps off at high speeds, potentially harming workers. However, other MRFs can capture and recycle the caps. Ask what your local facility   prefers.

Other bottles

Recyclable. Rinse out before putting in the   bin.

A bottle with a cap or an opening the same size or smaller than the base of the bottle is probably going to be recyclable. Bottles used for laundry detergent and personal care products such as shampoo and soap are all recyclable. If nozzle heads on spray cleaners contain metal springs, remove them and discard them in the trash. About a third of all kinds of plastic bottles get recycled into new   products.

Plastic clamshells

Sometimes recyclable. Check   locally.

Clamshells are made from the same type of plastic as beverage bottles, but not every curbside recycler can process them. That’s because the way clamshells are molded affects the structure of the plastic, making them more difficult to   recycle.

You might notice that clamshells, and many other plastic containers, come with a number inside a triangle of arrows. This 1 through 7 numbering system is called a resin identification code. It was developed in the late 1980s as a way to help recyclers, not consumers, identify the type of resin a plastic is made from. It does not necessarily mean the item is   recyclable.

Yogurt and butter tubs

They are often recyclable curbside, but not always. Check locally. Clean tubs before placing in the   bin.

These containers are usually marked with a 5 inside a triangle. Tubs are often made with a mix of plastic types. This can make it a difficult material for recyclers to sell to companies that would rather have a single type of plastic for their   manufacturing.

However, that’s not always the case. Trash collection and disposal company Waste Management says they work with a manufacturer that takes yogurt, sour cream and butter tubs and turns them into paint cans, for   example.

Polystyrene foam

Not recyclable, unless a drop-off location exists in your   area.

Foam polystyrene, like that found in meat packaging or egg cartons, is made of mostly air. A special machine is required to remove the air and condense the material into a patty or block for resale. These foam products have little value because once the air is removed, very little material   remains.

Dozens of cities throughout the U.S. have banned plastic foam. Just this year, Maine and Maryland passed statewide bans of polystyrene food   containers.

Some communities, however, have drop-off locations for plastic foam recycling, which can be made into crown molding and picture   frames.

Plastic bags and some wrappers

Not recyclable curbside. Take plastic bags back to the grocery store for   recycling.

Plastic bags — like those used for bread, newspapers and as cereal box liners, as well as sandwich bags, dry cleaning bags and grocery bags — create similar problems for recycling machinery as thin plastic film. However, bags and wrappers, like those that come around paper towels, can be returned to the grocery store for recycling. Thin plastic film   cannot.

There are approximately 18,000 plastic bag drop-off bins at major grocery store chains, including Walmart and Target, around the country. These retailers send the plastic to recyclers, who use the material in products such as composite   decking.

How2Recycle

The How2Recycle label is showing up on more products at the grocery store. The label was created by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and a recycling nonprofit called GreenBlue as a way to provide clear instructions to consumers about packaging recyclability. GreenBlue says that there are more than 2,500 variations of the label in circulation on products ranging from cereal boxes to toilet bowl   cleaner.

The plastics you put in your recycling bin are brought here to the material recovery   facility.

This is where people and automated equipment sort plastics by type and   shape.

MRFs vary quite a bit. Some MRFs are well-funded as part of larger companies. Some are run by municipalities. Others are small, privately owned   operations.

Separated recyclables are compressed into bales and sold to companies that reuse the material for manufacturing other goods such as clothing or furniture — or other plastic   containers.

Recycling guidelines can seem so particular because each facility is run differently. They have different equipment and different markets for their plastic, and those markets are constantly   evolving.

Recycling is a business with a product that is vulnerable to the ups and downs of commodities markets. Sometimes it’s cheaper for packagers to make things out of raw, virgin plastic than it is to buy recycled   plastic.

One reason so much plastic packaging ends up in incinerators, landfills and oceans is that it isn’t designed to be recycled. MRF operators say they’re working with manufacturers to design packaging that can be recycled within the capabilities of the current   system.

We also don’t recycle as much as we could. For example, plastic bottles are a highly desirable product for recyclers, but just about a third find their way into a recycling   bin.

That said, don’t “wishcycle.” Don’t throw items like holiday lights, batteries, medical waste and baby diapers into the curbside recycling bin. (Some of these items can be recycled through separate programs, though. Check   locally.)

To recycle is to be an actor in a global scrap trade. Each year that trade is infused with hundreds of millions of tons of plastic material. In 2018, China stopped taking most plastic waste from the U.S. So now the whole plastics industrial chain — from the oil industry to recyclers — is under pressure to figure out what to do with   it.

Recycling alone can’t solve the waste conundrum, but many believe it’s a vital piece of an overall strategy, which also includes reducing packaging and replacing disposables with reusable   materials.

How Is Plastic Recycled: Step by Step

Plastic production has been rapidly increasing since the 1950s. Every 15 years the quantity of plastic being produced has doubled. This is the fastest increase of any man-made material ever [4] . We can see this increase in our daily lives, with plastic being used pretty much everywhere and for everything. Plastic can be found in so many places in our modern world: in our homes, in our automobiles, at our jobs, in our electronics, in our children’s toys, in our gardens… Plastic even surrounds most of our food! 

All of this plastic use is quite significant for the environment, since the majority of plastics available today are derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource . Globally, we have started to realize that we have a problem, but plastic is so entrenched into our lives it cannot be easily removed.

One good way to stem the production of plastic is to recycle plastic that has already been produced and use it to make new products. Plastic recycling has become more advanced in recent years and is always becoming more efficient. Fortunately, a lot of plastic can be remade into new products. Plastic waste recycling reduces our need for more fossil fuels, saves energy , landfill space, and emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

So, how is plastic recycled, anyway?

Plastic recycling process

Plastic recycling is broken up into a few distinct steps. Generally these steps remain the same for most types of recycling facilities, but certain steps can be combined or omitted in some situations.

Step 1: Collection

The first step in the recycling process is always collecting the plastic material that is to be recycled.

This step is completely reliant upon businesses, restaurants, and the public to dispose of their plastic waste in the correct place. If plastic waste is disposed of in normal trash bins, it will not be recycled, so it is extremely important to separate common waste and plastic waste.

Additionally, it is ideal for governments to have a recycling collection system that goes to people’s houses or businesses to collect the plastic waste. If this is not possible, local collection points for plastic should be easy for the public to access. Making it easy and convenient for people to correctly dispose of plastic waste is paramount in promoting recycling [1] .

Step 2: Sorting

After plastics are collected and transported to a recycling facility, the next step is sorting.

Machines sort plastics into different areas based upon a multitude of properties that are often dependent upon the recycling facility or what final product is being produced.

Plastics are usually sorted in a few common ways, such as the type of plastic (material it is made with), color of the plastic, or even how it was made. This is important because different types of plastics must be processed in different ways and some recycling facilities are only capable of recycling one type of plastic. If the wrong type of plastic is processed at the incorrect facility it can reduce the efficiency of the whole process and require the entire batch to be sent back again for resorting [1,2] .

Step 3: Washing

Just like with clothes, fruits/vegetables, and many other things, plastics must be washed before they are further processed. The goal of this step is to remove impurities and everything that is not made from plastic.

Most containers and packages have labels, adhesive, or even food residue that must be removed. This non-plastic waste cannot be recycled and can cause the final product to have poor structural integrity [2] .

Step 4: Resizing

Resizing consists of shredding or granulating the plastic waste into small particles. This increases the surface area of the plastic, making it easier to process, reshape, and transport if needed.

Additionally, it gives recycling facilities one last opportunity to remove any non-plastic waste that has made it through the first 3 steps of processing. This is often done with metal detectors or magnets that will help remove any leftover metal in the mixture [1] .

Step 5: Identification and separation of plastics

The identification and separation of plastics is when the now small plastic particles are tested to determine their quality and class.

The first quality tested is density . This is done by floating the particles in a large tank of water. Particles less dense than water will float and more dense particles will sink.

Next their air classification is determined. Air classification is an official term for how thick or thin a particle is. This is done by dropping the particles into a small wind tunnel. The smaller pieces will fly higher up the tunnel and bigger ones will remain lower.

Two other features plastics are commonly tested for are their melting point and color . These are determined by collecting and analyzing samples from each batch of plastic particles [1,2,3] .

Step 6: Compounding

The final step in the recycling process is often considered the most exciting because it is when the plastic particles are made into recycled materials usable for future production. Compounding is when the small particles are smashed and melted together into plastic pellets. The pellets can then be used in the production of other plastic products [1] .

Throughout this process the plastic may be moved to different plants that specialize in different steps of the process. It can be energy intensive and the better educated we are about the process the more we can reduce the time and energy it requires.

Example: Recycling of a plastic bottle

Let’s say that you have just finished drinking water from a commercial disposable (but recyclable!) water bottle. As you place your empty water bottle into your home recycling bin as you always do, you wonder, “What will actually happen to this water bottle after I’m finished with it?”

In order for your plastic water bottle to get from your recycling bin and made into new products, it goes on a long journey!

• First, your bottle must be collected by a recycling facility. This can happen when recycling collection drivers pick up your plastic recycling bin on your curb in front of your house, or when you bring your recyclable waste to a local recycling facility.
• Next, if your local recycling company has implemented a Single Stream Recycling System , by which all materials are collected together, these materials must undergo a sorting process to separate different materials, such as glass, paper, or metals. Most often, the majority of this sorting process is done automatically by machines, but it may also include one manual sort to eliminate as much contamination of the materials as possible.
• Since there are numerous types of plastics in use today , all of the plastic materials in a recycling facility must be separated by type. Your plastic water bottle will likely be grouped with the other plastic materials made with #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) plastic.Unfortunately, certain types of plastics are not as easily recycled as other types of plastics. Many recycling facilities do not have equipment that can handle every type of plastic, and so these items may be sold to another facility that can recycle them or they may end up in a landfill. Ask your plastic recycling company about what they do with items they cannot process.
• Next, your plastic water bottle will go to an area of the recycling facility where it will be ground up into chips or flakes, and the plastic will then be washed to get rid of any labels or remaining residue.
• The plastic is dried, melted, and formed into pellets, which can be used for manufacturing new products.
• Recycled plastic pellets can then be sold to companies and used to make different products. Some products made from recycled plastic bottles include artificial fleece, engineered wood products, carpeting, floor mats, tiles, furniture, motor oil, detergent bottles, pipes and pails.

Your water bottle will now be given a new life as something else! Plastic bottle recycling is then definitely worth your effort.

How to recycle plastic?

Despite the efficiency of most recycling facilities, there can still be some difficulties involved with the process of recycling plastic. Materials such as dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and sometimes pieces of biodegradable plastic can potentially contaminate an entire batch of petroleum-based plastics and it will all need to be thrown away. This is why it is very important to follow the guidelines of your recycling company regarding which plastics can and cannot be accepted.

The first step in the recycling process is one of the most crucial. If (as the user) we don’t discard our plastic in the correct place, it will never be recycled.

When we recycle plastic there are a few useful tips to remember to speed up the process.

First, keep in mind that almost all plastic bottles and food containers can be recycled. When we recycle these containers it is important to wash them or shake them out to reduce the amount of food waste that is being sent to the recycling center [5] .

Second, remove the screw caps from any bottles you are recycling. The caps are made from a different type of plastic than the bottle. If we do not remove them they must be removed by employees at the recycling center before they can be processed [6] .

Both of these tips will reduce the amount of work and energy required in the recycling process.

What plastics can be recycled?

Not all types of plastic can be recycled, but how do you know which can and which cannot be recycled?

On most plastic containers and bottles you will find a small number denoting the type of plastic that it is. This code is not required, but it is becoming more and more common.

• Plastic numbers 1, 2, 4 & 5 can be recycled.

These plastics are different types of polyethylene and polypropylene. They are used in items ranging from water bottles and toys to grocery bags. These plastics are the most common types used.

• Plastic numbers 3, 6, and 7 cannot be recycled.

These are PVC, polystyrene, and all other types of plastics not mentioned. These plastics have been shown to contain toxins and chemicals that cause human health problems [7] .

How much plastic is recycled?

Since the mass production of plastics began in the 1950s, we have produced over 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic .

Out of all of this plastic, we have only recycled around 9 percent of it.

Out of the remaining 91 percent, around 12 percent has been incinerated and 79 percent is currently in landfills [4] .

This plastic will sit in landfills for the next hundreds of years before it degrades (if it even will) and during that time even more plastic will accumulate.

Products made from recycled plastic

Over the last 10 years more and more products have begun to be produced using recycled plastics. These products span a huge range: from skateboards to reusable bags to even sunglasses [8] . The opportunity for more and different types of recycled plastic products is nearly endless.

The amount of recycled plastic products is ever increasing. This is a positive sign that people are becoming more environmentally aware of the negative impacts of plastics and benefit of recycling them.

Almost all of the plastic we use becomes waste and a huge amount eventually reaches our oceans, rivers, and terrestrial habitats. We already know this waste has huge implications for our natural ecosystems and cannot be allowed to continue. As a species we need to acknowledge this problem and work together to actively conquer it. A good start to this battle is recycling the plastics that we already use and being positive role models for our peers.

Reducing your use of plastic is best, but recycling your plastic whenever possible is the next-best solution!

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Greentumble was founded in the summer of 2015 by us, Sara and Ovi . We are a couple of environmentalists who seek inspiration for life in simple values based on our love for nature. Our goal is to inspire people to change their attitudes and behaviors toward a more sustainable life. Read more about us .

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