How to Recycle Plastic

The importance and benefits of recycling plastic are well known all over the world. Hundreds of Environment Protection Agencies, Government Organizations and NGO throughout the world are setting various targets and goals every year to recycle plastic waste and thereby protect the environment. Recycling plastic is a process in which waste and scrap plastic materials and products are collected and reprocessed to turn it into new products and materials. It must be noted that by recycling plastic, you can not produce the same material or plastic again but you can produce another product or another form of plastic.

The entire process of recycling plastic starts with segregation or sorting of the plastic as per the resin identification code and often as per the color of the plastic. After the sorting, the recyclable plastic waste is shredded and processed further to remove contaminants such as paper, glass or any other impurities. Shredded plastic in its pure form is then melted and extruded in the form of pellets or granules, which will be ultimately used in the manufacturing plants for making new form of plastic or products.

There are different types of technologies and processes that are used for recycling plastic such as monomer recycling, thermal depolymerization, and heat compression, among other. Depending upon the plastic type and the product, different processes and methods are employed for sorting, melting, extrusion and further processing to make new product or plastic. For instance, plastic bottles and containers are processed and recycled to recover the basic raw material PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), which is then further crushed and chopped into flakes, to be used in different industries and products. HDPE (high Density Polyethylene) is one of the most recycled plastic, which is recycled and reprocessed to make roadside curbs, plastic lumber, benches, tables, recycling bins, and many other plastic products. With the growing awareness about recycling plastic and the benefits of plastic recycling, recycling of PET bottles and other plastic has increasing rapidly during the last five years all over the world.