Recycling is one of the most important steps we can take toward creating a more sustainable future.
Recycling plastic can have a much more significant impact than directly reducing waste. By recycling plastics, you are also helping to reduce emissions of harmful gases that contribute to the GHG effect.
When more plastic is recycled,
less power goes into gathering, transporting, and preparing material to make new plastic.
But how does plastic get recycled?
The first step in the process of recycling plastic after collecting it and transporting it to the right facility is cleaning it! To ensure plastic is safe to be recycled and reused, it goes through a thermal cleaning process to get rid of any bacteria and unwanted materials.
Then the newly cleaned plastic is sorted by category depending on what type of plastic it is.
This is done because different types of plastic have different melting points and may not mix with other plastics.
Once organized into different categories, the plastic is then put through a shredding machine to create smaller bits and pieces.
The smaller size makes it easier and faster to melt the plastics.
The final step is to melt the plastic shreds into pallets. These pallets can then be remolded to make new products, or the pallets can be used as construction material!