YOGYAKARTA - If we look closely, there is a lot of plastic around us. From soda bottles to grocery bags to your ID card, we see and use plastic every day. Many of these plastics come from materials such as petrochemicals. The abundance of plastic around us can have both advantages and disadvantages. There are also ways to recycle plastic waste.
Plastic can cause waste and pollution in the environment. These effects can harm humans and the environment. Also, if you don't manage plastics properly, making new ones can be a waste of resources. Thus it makes sense to reuse and reprocess plastics to prevent waste.
For this reason, plastic recycling is an important procedure in plastic production. Are you wondering what it means to recycle plastic or how does recycling happen?
This article answers all your questions. We show you how plastic is recycled and why recycling is good for people and the environment.
Plastic recycling is a method of collecting plastic waste and turning it back into new and useful plastic products. The world produces and uses more than a trillion pounds of plastic material. Plastic recycling ensures that large amounts of this plastic are not wasted. Instead, you can reprocess the ingredients to get another product.
How To Recycle Plastic Waste
There are different types of plastic. And this makes it impossible to recycle all plastic in the same way. However, there are two methods of recycling plastics.
Traditional Recycling
This method is the most widespread recycling method. Another word for traditional recycling is mechanical recycling. This method is suitable for recycling thermoplastic materials.
Traditional recycling methods involve melting plastic and processing it into new plastic products. After recyclers melt the plastic, they make it into a new product through a process called injection molding.
Advanced Recycling
Advanced recycling is a process in which the effects of chemicals break down plastic materials. This method consists of three other techniques. These techniques include pyrolysis, chemical recycling, and gasification.
Pyrolysis is a technique that involves recycling plastic waste into crude oil. Chemical recycling requires the reduction of polymers into monomers that can create new products. For example, manufacturers apply chemical recycling to make nylon.
On the other hand, gasification turns plastic into gas. Manufacturers use the gas obtained from this process to create energy.
Both traditional and advanced recycling have their respective benefits. However, applying one of the two methods depends on the facilities available. The final product that the recycler wants to produce also determines the recycling method.
However, all methods involve similar steps during recycling. Don't worry; we will tell you these steps in the next section.
Plastic Recycle Benefits
So what are the benefits of this? Let's find out.
- Recycling plastic reduces the amount of trash that pollutes the oceans.
- Plastic recycling creates new jobs.
- Plastic recycling creates additional revenue for governments and private organizations.
- Plastic recycling reduces the release of carbon dioxide and harmful gases into the environment.
- Recycling plastic saves space that is used as a landfill. This makes it possible to use the landfill for other purposes.
- Recycling saves petroleum that manufacturers might use to make new plastics.
- Recycling plastics reduces the energy producers consume in creating new products.
- Plastic recycling prevents global warming.
- Plastic recycling reduces the appearance of all forms of pollution.
- Plastic recycling provides income for volunteers who collect plastic waste.
- Plastic recycling helps reduce activities such as deforestation that occurs when making new plastic.
- Encouraging Sustainable Lifestyles among People.
After knowing how to recycle plastic waste, check out other interesting news on VOI, it's time to revolutionize the news!
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