Plastic Recycling 101: What’s In & What’s Out

Plastic Recycling

Plastic recycling is crucial for environmental protection and waste management, as it helps preserve oil and reduce landfill space. SL Recycling is committed to recycling materials like wood, metal, and food scraps, and its extensive program helps keep recyclable materials out of landfills. 

Most plastics are disposed of in unsustainable ways, making plastic trash a serious issue for environmentalists, governments, and organizations. Therefore, plastic recycling is essential for greener alternatives in waste management.

At SL Recycling, we are committed to keeping recyclable materials out of landfills, and that includes plastics. Wood, metal, food scraps, and more may all be recycled through our extensive program! We compiled this plastic recycling guide to shed light on the topic and explain what materials can and cannot be recycled and why.

Recycling of Plastics

As outlined in The Waste Hierarchy, many organizations, from waste management companies to national governments, adhere to a “zero waste to landfill” policy.

Learn more about what “zero waste to landfill” means here.

Although recycling of any kind is crucial to protecting the environment, plastic recycling has several unique advantages. Plastic wastes landfill space and contributes to environmental pollution for a much longer period because it can take hundreds, even thousands, of years to biodegrade. The more plastic is recycled and the less is produced from raw materials, the more oil is preserved; recycling plastic is a win-win for the environment.

Unfortunately, not all eco-friendly trash cans are made to hold plastic. For instance, not all plastics can be recycled easily, and incinerating them to generate energy is not an option because of the toxic byproducts.

How does one recycle plastic?

Plastics are separated into their component resin types before being recycled, a process that can be done manually, mechanically, or even by colour. The two most common methods for recycling plastic after sorting are mechanical recycling (washing, grinding, and melting) and chemical recycling (breaking plastic down into monomers to make new polymers for reuse).

Baled trash is hauled to designated recycling facilities when plastics are recycled. As a result of our extensive recycling efforts, we can provide both plastic raw materials and a variety of recovered plastics.

Can You Recycle This Kind of Plastic?

Only a small variety of plastics are routinely collected and recycled from homes, as many UK citizens may know from their curbside collections. Other plastics can be recycled in addition to the widely collected plastics and household waste, although it may be necessary to take additional steps.

More varieties of plastic are being collected and recycled, and this trend is expected to accelerate as new recycling technologies become widely available and environmental regulations are passed.

Plastic resin codes are assigned to plastics to rapidly identify the type of plastic used. From 1–7, with 7 representing “other,” a wide variety of possibilities are shown.

Plastics that are most frequently recycled include:

Plastic containers and food storage containers made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Milk cartons and shampoo bottles are both made of HDPE or high-density polyethene.

Polypropylene (PP) #5: margarine containers, ready-to-eat meal platters

Plastics that can be recycled to some extent (in dedicated facilities) include:

• Three PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Pipes
• A set of four LDPE (low-density polyethene) food storage bags
• Polystyrene (PS) plastic silverware is number 6.

How Come Some Plastics Can’t Be Recycled?

The general guideline is that the lower the resin code, the more easily recyclable the plastic type is. Even though recycling plastic isn’t widely practised, many forms of plastic can be recycled. However, many plastics aren’t recycled since the process is too complicated.

In contrast to thermoplastics, which can be re-melted and re-moulded, thermoset plastics contain polymers that establish irreversible chemical connections and are therefore not recyclable. Non-recyclable plastics include but are not limited to, polycarbonate, bioplastics, composite plastics, and plastic-coated wrapping paper.  Cling film and blister packing are two examples of widely used but non-recyclable polymers.

It is recommended that businesses inquire with their waste management service provider about the types of plastics that can be recycled.

When will all plastics be recycled?

The method by which plastic was manufactured isn’t the only reason it cannot be recycled; there are also technological, environmental, and financial considerations to consider. Kerbside collections will not take this combined plastic recycling because thin bags or films can clog machinery if not properly separated.

Where does all the non-recycled plastic go?

Typically a garbage dump. For example, plastic bags can be used repeatedly before being thrown away; therefore, this type of waste is temporarily diverted from landfills.

Plastic trash should not be automatically discarded as useless but rather as valuable, and other landfill options should be investigated.