Broadly, there are two major ways to recycle plastic: (1) mechanical recycling ("chop and wash"), where the plastic is washed, ground into powders and melted, and (2) chemical recycling, where the plastic is broken down into monomers. Before recycling, most plastics are sorted according to their resin type.
Here are 10 innovative ways in which you can help reuse/recycle plastic bottles in your household!
HDPE (high density polyethylene) is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially when it comes to packaging. It carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many types of goods.
Five plastic bottles (PET) recycled provides enough fiber to create one square feet of carpet or enough fiber fill to fill one ski jacket. Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. Recycling one ton of plastic bottles saves the equivalent energy usage of a two person household for one year.
The difference in the recyclability of plastic types can be down to how they are made; thermoset plastics contain polymers that form irreversible chemical bonds and cannot be recycled, whereas thermoplastics can be re-melted and re-molded.
There are three main types of recycling: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Melting the Plastic
Wherever you see a plastic bag recycling bin in retail stores, you can also recycle your bags, wraps, and films. You do not need to take these items back to the same place where you bought them. Even if you purchased the packages online, you can still take them to any retail store with a plastic bag recycling bin.
5: PP (Polypropylene)
PP products CAN SOMETIMES be recycled.
For plastic bottles, you need to ask your local recycling facility whether caps are accepted before aiming to recycle them with the container. Some will certainly ask you to leave them on, some approve caps but require them to be separated, and others will just toss them away.
Plastic bottles and jugs are part of the big five of curbside recycling, along with aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper and steel cans. Most curbside recycling programs accept at the very least #1 and #2 plastic bottles, and bigger programs accept all numbers and plastics in other forms (like yogurt containers).
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