Plastic Recycling

Statistics

• Globally, only around 5% of plastic is recycled. [1]

Basics

• The Recycling of Plastics
• Given that they can chemically degrade due to various mechanisms, or become dirty this is complex, but in most cases it is still very achievable
• The main reason for the low amount of recycling is due to creating new plastic from Fossil Fuel feedstocks is cheaper, along with some other aspects like unclear collection/labeling systems
• The process typically involves collection and sorting, washing, shredding, and drying
• The resulting product is Shredded Plastic Flakes
  • These can be further processed, or used in this form

Internal Links

• Precious Plastic (A group developing Open Source Hardware to allow for Decentralized Recycling of Plastics)

External Links

• Plastic Recycling
• An article by "Creative Mechanisms" Titled "The Eleven Most Important Types of Plastic"
• An Article by "Cut Plastic Sheeting" Titled "The 5 Most Common Plastics & Their Everyday Uses"
• "Why plastics warp when 3d printing"
• "About Glass Transition temperature"
• An article on waste plastic recylcing by Sibele Cestari at Queens College Ireland: Plastics could help build a sustainable future – here's how