![]() Sadly, these products won’t even go near a recycling center. What’s more, many products are a mix of plastics and non-plastics such as wood or metal. While some goods, like water bottles and other drink bottles, are frequently made from a single, common plastic (such as PETE) allowing them to be easily recycled, many others are designed to use a mix of plastics, which can cause serious issues in our current plastic recycling process. Both of these problems can lead to plastics being sent to the landfill rather than recycled.Īnother complication is found within the products themselves. This creates issues in the form of contamination, either by mixing non-recyclable plastics with recyclable plastics or trying to recycle plastics soiled by things like adhesives, chemicals, and food remnants that further impedes the recycling process. Today, as both consumers and businesses look to recycle more materials, there is a lack of knowledge on how to do it effectively. Recently, the tide seems to be turning on this issue as more people look for sustainable options and educate themselves about why plastic recycling is important. Despite the fact that potential issues were first flagged in the 1960s, historically, there has been a lot of pushback against implementing real change-mainly from the plastics industry itself. However, meeting the challenges posed by plastics is not simple, and there exists a lack of awareness surrounding the plastic waste problem. There are social, environmental, and economic consequences surrounding our current waste generation and disposal habits, and whether that is the issue of microplastics or an estimated $2.5 trillion in damage and lost resources to fisheries, aquaculture, recreational activities, and global wellbeing, the impact is no longer in doubt. Plastic recycling is extremely important, both as a method to deal with our existing waste and as a component of both circular economy and zero-waste systems that aim to reduce waste generation and increase sustainability. Why is plastic recycling important and what are the challenges faced by the industry? There’s a variety of reasons for this, and while our plastic waste continues to grow, advances in technology and changes to the way we consume are helping to make it more efficient and effective. In fact, in roughly 70 years, there has been 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic produced, with around 6.3 billion metric tons of that becoming waste.Īnd only 9% of that waste has been recycled. From children’s toys to food packaging, plastic materials are a ubiquitous part of 21st-century life. Plastics have only been around for a little over a century, yet they’ve become part of almost every aspect of our lives. ![]()
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