Recycling plastic grocery bags can be a problem. Many communities do not accept plastic bags in their curbside recycling set-ups. Unfortunately, many end up in landfills or as unsightly tree trash or simply gone with the wind. Though more of an inconvenience, you can still recycle plastic bags and keep them from cluttering up the environment. To begin, find out if your community’s curbside recycling program will accept plastics bags. If they…
The plastic recycling business is a helpful contributor to maintaining a clean environment. Plastic itself is very lightweight and has many diverse uses. It has the advantage of being relatively versatile and inexpensive and can be used in the manufacture of safe, durable products for sectors like food packaging and medical tools and accessories. While the plastic recycling business is involved in the elimination and reproduction of plastic waste, all…
America Recycles Day, a Keep America Beautiful national initiative, is the only nationally-recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. Each year, on and in the weeks leading into Nov. 15, thousands of communities across the country participate by promoting environmental citizenship and taking action to increase and improve recycling in America. Through America Recycles Day, Keep America Beautiful and its vast network of affiliates and…
The plastic injection molding process has been around in various and increasingly sophisticated forms since the mid-19th century. The technique of heating the plastic and melting the molten substance into a desired shape is at the heart of the plastic injection molding process. Plastic molding today is considerably different from the rudimentary operations of yesteryear. There have been many advancements. Indeed, by WWII, injection molding became of major import in…
The plastic manufacturing process begins with organic products. These are natural products such as coal, natural gas, cellulose and, particularly, crude oil. Thousands of compounds make crude oil a complex mixture and it must be processed to become plastic. This distillation process commences in an oil refinery with the separation of the heavy crude oil into lighter aggregates called fractions. Each fraction is a mixture of hydrocarbon chains. These chains…
Plastic waste recycling is very much in the news, but its useful to recall that recycling in general is an age-old tradition. From hand me down clothes to preservative jars, it is a testament to both human practicality and ingenuity. Previous to the current attention to plastic waste recycling, the practice was very much part of our culture during World War II. At that time our government impressed upon the…
Contrary to a popular misconception, plastic bags, soft plastic, film plastic, and foam should be considered as regular garbage and should be kept out of your plastic recycling bins. Additionally, here is a comprehensive list of items that should not be included in your plastic recycling bins nor most other traditional recycling categories: Garden hoses Luggage (plastic or textile) Sponges Sports balls, such as basketballs, bowling balls, soccer balls,…
The Plastics Industry Association (previousl SPI) follows a plastic coding system that requires a number (1 – 7) on each plastic product that is manufactured. This is particularly helpful for those interested in recycling plastic as knowledge about the 7 types of plastics can help recyclers sort their materials more effectively. It can be helpful to always verify the plastic classification number of each product you use, especially if you plan…
Before the history of plastics began, materials were not developed in the laboratory. Products were essentially natural materials like wood, glass, clay and, later, rubber and metals. We can trace the origins of plastic back to 1862 at the Great International Exhibition in London when Alexander Parkes presented his patented Parkesine, a man-made plastic derived from nitrocellulose. This material could be heated and molded into goods that could keep their…
Plastics manufacturing is the workhorse of the modern economy. Their popularity has kept the industry growing for 50 years, with global production surging from 15 million metric tons in 1964 to 311 million metric tons in 2014. If business proceeds as usual, this number is projected to double to more than 600 million metric tons in the next 20 years. Yet functional benefits come at a price. Plastic packaging, especially,…