We all have recycling boxes that sit next to our wheelie bins and often there is a public recycling point in a car-park nearby. Some of us have become recycling experts and recycle almost 100% of their household waste, while the vast majority of us are just beginning to get involved in recycling. Budget cuts have resulted in household waste being collected once a fortnight with a restriction on the amount of rubbish we can place in our wheelie bins. Councils have tried to counteract this issue by supplying recycling boxes and bins so that we greatly reduce the amount of rubbish going into landfill sites. Often when we do recycle our rubbish we are completely unaware of the benefits recycling has on the environment and energy usage.
We are using plastic on an epic scale and if we don’t start recycling more efficiently it will have a major impact on natural resources and the environment in which we live. Larry West, the Environmental Issues Expert from About.com, has noted that plastic usage has increased particularly in the beverage industry. He states that, ‘Americans buy 28 billion bottles of water annually’, which are a lot of bottles. If you add the rest of the world’s bottled water consumption and soft drink bottles you are talking billions more bottles that need to be disposed of carefully.
The two major benefits of recycling plastic are the conservation of energy and natural resources and reduction of landfill usage. Did you know that; natural gas, water and petroleum is used in the manufacture of plastic? Recycling plastic reduces the need to use these resources as it costs less to produce. In America 7.4 cubic yards of landfill is saved by recycling plastic and using it to make a new material that can be used to make a variety of different items such as; bottles, fleeces, pipes, garden furniture and bin liners.
Local authorities are making it much easier to recycle plastic by continuing to improve the way in which plastic is collected. There is still a long way to go before society as a whole adopts good recycling habits and makes an even greater impact on saving the environment and Earth’s resources.
Plastic is a very easy material to recycle and can be made ready to be used in manufacturing in five simple steps:-
Collection - from domestic or public bins.
Manual Sorting - separates the different plastics and removes non plastic items.
Chipping - the plastic is chipped in preparation for washing and melting.
Washing - removes any labels that are stuck to the positively charged plastic and residues.
Pelleting - Once fully cleaned the plastic is melted into pellets for easy transportation.
Plastic carrier bags are recycled in pretty much the same way.
If you would like to find out more about ordering a recycling line you can discuss it by phoning 01482 224404 or emailing sales@challenger-group.co.uk where you will be able to arrange a visit to the Hull site with Richard Greene, John Sanderson or Garry Marshall.
