| A vast amount of products are made from | | | | was not viable or practical to recycle plastic. |
| plastics in today's world, ranging from packaging | | | | Thankfully, that is no longer the case and many |
| to bottles to children's toys to car panels. It is | | | | countries have developed the necessary |
| such a versatile material that we would now | | | | technology and facilities for large-scale plastic |
| struggle to exist without it, such is our global | | | | recycling. As the environment and climate change |
| dependency. There is one big problem with this, | | | | are becoming increasingly important issues to the |
| which is that plastics are made from oil, a fossil | | | | wider public, governments are under pressure to |
| fuel! Fossil fuels are not infinite and we are draining | | | | ensure that they are doing all that they can in the |
| the planet's resources at a phenomenal rate. As | | | | war on waste. |
| the raw materials become scarce and more | | | | Of all the types of plastics waste produced, that |
| difficult to extract, prices will rise and ultimately | | | | which forms the majority are plastic bottles which |
| the oil will one day run out. | | | | can easily be recycled. Britain alone throws away |
| Consider also that making 'new' plastic uses | | | | half a million tonnes of plastic bottles every year, |
| energy in addition to raw materials. To produce | | | | which equates to over 9 billion bottles! Americans |
| just one kilogram of plastic takes 36 mega joules | | | | use an astonishing 2,500,000 million plastic bottles |
| of energy, but to produce the exact same | | | | every hour. Most of these end up in landfills |
| amount of product through the recycling process | | | | where they take up huge amounts of space. |
| only takes 4 mega joules. This demonstrates that | | | | Recycling plastic bottles reduces the number that |
| the energy used to recycle is a huge eight times | | | | end up in landfill sites and means the plastic they |
| less than the energy to manufacture new plastic. | | | | are made from can be used to make innovative |
| When the world is being called upon to cut carbon | | | | new products, including fleece jackets as one |
| emissions, this is a difference that cannot be | | | | example. Using as few as 25 2 litre soda bottles, |
| ignored. | | | | one adult sized fleece jacket can be produced. |
| It is therefore essential that we recycle plastic | | | | Recycling just one plastic bottle saves enough |
| goods where possible. Recycling of other materials | | | | energy to power a 60W lightbulb for 6hrs. |
| such as paper and glass has been commonplace | | | | Please consider your environment and dispose of |
| for years, but the technology to recycle plastic | | | | your waste thoughtfully. If your community has |
| has lagged behind and it used to be true that it | | | | recycling facilities, please use them! |