When I tell people I'm in the plastic recycling industry, they often think I collect water bottles for a living. While this is somewhat the case, there is more to plastic recycling than just water bottles. In 2006, a relative of mine came to me with about 100 monthly tons of diaper cut-outs and asked if I could "get rid of it".Diapers are made from non-woven fabric (making diapers water-resistant) composed usually of either PP (polypropylene) or a mixture of PP and PE (polyethylene). Often times, there is PET and chemical bonding agents in the mixture making the diaper cut-outs difficult to......READ MORE

Modern plastics are a pretty incredible substance, but there are some real issues with plastics. Some may never biodegrade for example. You can find the most deserted and remote island in the South Pacific and the shores will absolutely be littered with plastic substances like bottles, bags, 6 pack holders, boxes, and much more. We are often told that most plastics break down or biodegrade in 100 years, but since they have not existed that long, we are not really sure. Now some newer ones are described as biodegradable, meaning they do break down, but most of these require oxygen to......READ MORE

Although recycling of bags, bottles and various other products made out of plastic is essential to conserve the ecosystem, most individuals neither have the time nor the inclination to do so. That's why, governing bodies, ecologists plus voluntary groups making the effort to devise inventive recycling techniques that might persuade folks to recycle much more plastic and minimize the degree of plastic debris. Quite possibly the most widely used plastic recycling procedures are monomer recycling process and thermal depolymerization, both of which work excellent with less complex plastics. ......READ MORE

Although recycling of bags, bottles and various other products made out of plastic is essential to conserve the ecosystem, most individuals neither have the time nor the inclination to do so. That's why, governing bodies, ecologists plus voluntary groups making the effort to devise inventive recycling techniques that might persuade folks to recycle much more plastic and minimize the degree of plastic debris. Quite possibly the most widely used plastic recycling procedures are monomer recycling process and thermal depolymerization, both of which work excellent with less complex plastics. ......READ MORE

The perception that major international companies don't do enough to guarantee environment sustainability could soon change. It is because corporations are making a genuine effort to include eco-friendly practices throughout different areas of operation. This consists of using clean technology such as wind power in addition to solar energy, and recycling industrial by-products that otherwise would have been dumped at the landfill. PepsiCo Beverages Canada is the most recent brand to jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon, according to a report. This is considered to be the first such green idea to......READ MORE

The perception that major international companies don't do enough to guarantee environment sustainability could soon change. It is because corporations are making a genuine effort to include eco-friendly practices throughout different areas of operation. This consists of using clean technology such as wind power in addition to solar energy, and recycling industrial by-products that otherwise would have been dumped at the landfill. PepsiCo Beverages Canada is the most recent brand to jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon, according to a report. This is considered to be the first such green idea to......READ MORE

You took the first step by placing your plastic products into the recycling bin. Have you ever wondered what happens to all your recycling efforts? Will the coke bottle you recycled yesterday get turned into a t-shirt?The recycling process is actually pretty long winded and complicated! It involves a lot of sorting, cleaning, and melting before it can be reused. Let's get started, shall we?Most recycling centers use what is known as a single stream recycling system. That is, all recyclable goods including plastic, metal, glass, paper are collected all at once. These different types of......READ MORE

What do the plastic numbers stand for?I'm sure you've seen plastic products imprinted with a recycle symbol (the three circulating arrows) that has a number inside. While most people refer to these as "plastic numbers" or "plastic codes," the official term is actually "Plastic Identification Codes" or PIC for short. There are a total of 7 plastic numbers which were introduced by the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc back in 1988. The numbers were intended for use in identifying plastic types during the recycling purposes. Yes, even back in the 80s, people had recycling in mind.The......READ MORE

I've been meaning to do a piece on plastic e-waste for some time now. This is because I did a good amount of plastic e-waste trading last year. I purchase baled computer and television cases from the United States and import them into China for sales and distribution.Plastic e-waste, sometimes called "e-plastic," is composed of plastic stripped from electronic equipment such as computers, monitors, telephones, etc. Why not just grind and melt the e-plastic together and turn them back into electronic equipment?Here lies the problem, before e-plastics can be melted and turned into recycled......READ MORE

A plastic bag or bottle can take about one thousand years to break down, therefore millions of plastic bags littered on our planet will take large amounts of energy to eradicate, along with space in our trash dumps. But by recycling plastic, you will save the energy and oil necessary to manufacture new plastic bags and bottles, while also saving the entire world from unwanted toxic landfill. Today, with a lot more consumers in the U.S. becoming attentive to the potential health risks of toxic waste and opening up to the notion of recycling, the all around plastic recycling rates in the country......READ MORE