The know how on plastic recycling

Plastic is an essential part of modern life and it makes many of the things that we do on a daily basis much easier. Part of why we use plastic so much is the convenience it creates. For example, someone can take a plastic water bottle out and when they are done with the contents of the bottle, the bottle itself is so cheap that it’s easier to throw it away than carry it back home to reuse. The problem that is produced from this situation is multifaceted in that not only is it not environmentally sustainable to constantly be making new plastic items to throw away but that all of this thrown away plastic has to go somewhere. The somewhere that all this plastic is going also has to be a permanent resting place considering that it takes over a million years for a plastic bottle to be fully decomposed. OVER A MILLION YEARS!!! So a good way to start living the eco life concerning plastic would be to try to reuse or reduce the amount you use as much as possible. For ideas on how to cut back on plastic bags and bottles check out my classmate’s blog at http://livingecofriendlylifestyle.blogspot.com. No matter what though you are going to have to get ride of some plastic and the best way to do that is by recycling. Plastic is not like other big recycle materials such as aluminum cans and glass bottles in that there are many different types of plastic with different degrees of recycling ease and this can get kind of tricky.

39 U.S states now require that all plastic contains between the sizes of 8ounces and 5gallons be marked with an appropriate number for their specific type of plastic. This number, which can be a 1 through 7, is next to a recycling symbol of a triangle made of 3 arrows. This system of plastic classification was created by The Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988 to help in the recycling process.

The number 1 is for polyethylene terephthalate(PETE) which is the most used and easiest plastic to recycle. It is the general ingredient used to make water bottles and when recycled can be used for a number of other things such as fiberfill for life jackets, sailboat sails, and even remade into other plastic bottles.

The number 2 is high density polyethylene plastics, such as the containers that hold bleach and motor oil. This can also be recycled into a number of different things such as piping and plastic lumber.

Numbers 1 and 2 are widely accepted at recycling plants because of the commonness and the usefulness of their recycling by products. Numbers 3, 4, and 5 are usually not excepted so reducing the amount you use of these types of plastics would be very environmentally beneficial.

Number 3 is polyvinyl chloride which is mostly used for shower curtains, medical tubing, and plastic pipes.

Number 4 is low density polyethylene which is used to make grocery bags and food wrapping film.

Number 5 is polypropylene which is mostly used to make Tupperware.

Number 3 is something that it would be hard to reduce your use of but with number 4 and 5 a small effort could reduce the amount you use to near zero. For example using a cloth shopping bag and washing out your Tupperware for reuse would make the amount of these types that you throw away minimum.

Number 6 is polystyrene or Styrofoam and is surprising accepted at most recycling plants. This is because it can be recycled into many of other products. This how ever doesn’t mean that it is an environmentally friendly product. Bringing your own travel coffee mug to get filled and reusing packing peanuts would cut back on the amount of Styrofoam that is produced, but what you do use you should know can be easily recycled.

The hardest plastics to recycle are given a number 7 or sometimes not assigned a number at all. These products are so hard to recycle because they are made from a combination of many types of plastics and cannot be broken down. You should pay attention to the number on the plastic products you by and if you see a number 7 try to avoid that product or look for it in a different type of packaging. It is suggested that if you do find yourself stuck with number 7 containers to take them back to the product manufacturers and give them the responsibility of getting ride of it.