When I recycle plastic, what does that actually mean?
Did you know that the Katoomba Waste Management Facility takes in about 28,000 tonnes of garbage each year? According to Blue Mountains City Council, 16% of that amount could have been recycled in some way. Plastics are of course one of the major problems.
According to Clean Up Australia, the average family can accumulate 60 shopping bags in just 4 shopping trips; which works out at 6 billion shopping bags each year. Of these 3.3 billion or more are the flimsy supermarket type bags. Apparently if tied together in a chain that’s enough to circle the world 37 times. No wonder the Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett wants to ban plastic bags by the end of the year.
The idea of no plastic bags gives me the vision of less green house gas emissions and a cleaner environment. What else does reprocessing/recycling plastic mean for me?
The High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic is found in these flimsy supermarket type bags (as well as milk and juice bottles) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) found in soft drink bottles are the commonest types of plastics can be reprocessed. I guess we are all familiar with the Δ symbol on some of the products we buy at the shops that can go in our local recycle bins at present. Numbers Δ 1 PET, Δ 2 HDPE; Δ 3 V (Vinyl) found in cordial and juice bottles; and Δ 5 PP (Polypropylene) found in yoghurt and sauce bottles.
As in everything in life there are exception to every rule, those supermarket plastic bags are made from the recyclable HDPE, but they need to go to a central collection point rather than residential recycling bins. They are available, but this has meant that a mere 10% get reprocessed.
Those tougher plastic bags from those more exclusive clothing shops are made from Low density polyethylene (LDPE, Δ 4) and unfortunately BMCC aren’t able to recycle these and a few other types of plastic available, just at this stage. But it’s often surprising what can be reprocessed rather than chucked in the bin - even some plant pots.So what are the finished products of this reprocessing?
PET plastics can be remade into can become fabric, insulation for sleeping bags and sports jackets, furniture, carpets, overhead transparencies, erasable wall planners, business cards, computer bags.
HDPE on the other hand can become irrigation pipes, garden hoses, kitchen drainage boards, buckets, doghouses plastic trays for greenhouse plants.
- V becomes loose-leaf folders, mud flaps traffic cones.
- PP can become car battery cases, rakes, funnels, bicycle racks.
The list is amazing if you are as fascinated as I have become about this topic. Try this site http://www.corporaterecycling.com.au/ for more information.
Sue
