What type of plastic can you recycle?

Answer 1

Many plastics can be recycled, but your local recycler may only recycle a few kinds of plastic. Check with them.

PET plastic (Number 1) (soft drink bottles) is recycled easily and is probably in demand.

Answer 2

Here are the basic steps to recycle, for example, PET bottles (Resin ID Code 1)

1. The plastic recyclables are sorted at the recycling center and baled.
2. At the mill they are chopped into little bits and cleaned.
3. They are further washed and purified.
4. They are melted, extruded and chopped into tiny pellets
5. They are turned into new PET bottles

All plastic can be recycled. However, it is difficult to separate (by hand), and different plastics use different amounts of energy to get them back to their original condition. If there is a mixture of different kinds of plastics in the melt they can separate and degrade the final product. (This is why we are asked to remove plastic lids, as they are always made from a different kind of plastic).

1. With extra effort and energy, plastic can be re-made into the same quality as the original.
2. Some plastics can be "upcycled", that is, made into plastic of higher quality than the original.
3. However much plastic recycling is "downcycling", that is, it is made into materials of lesser quality than the original (garden furniture, garbage bins etc).

There are many types of plastic. Plastic must be sorted by type for recycling since each type melts at a different temperature and has different properties. The plastics industry has developed an identification system (or identification codes) to label the different types of plastic. The identification system divides plastic into seven distinct types and uses a number code generally found on the bottom of containers.

When recycling plastic, the process generally works like this:

• First, the plastic is sorted from other materials and
• then each type of plastic is sorted from other types.
• Next, it's shaken and rinsed so any particles like dirt or bits of trash come free;
• then it's crushed into little flakes and put into a flotation tank. The purpose of this is to further sort the plastic by density.
• Once all the flakes are dried off, it's time to melt them into pellets.
• These pellets are sent back to the manufacturer to start the process over.

Answer 3

Commonly recyclable plastics include PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) used in soda bottles, HDPE (High-density polyethylene) found in milk jugs, PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) in pipes, LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) in plastic bags, and PP (Polypropylene) in food containers. Check with your local recycling program for specific guidelines on what plastics they accept.

Answer 4

Take It To A Nearby Recycling Plant , and it will be reused .

Answer 5

By recycling you can conserve plastic and help the environment.

Answer 6

When you recycle it it goes back to the bottle making factories and they melt it down to a liquid, put it in a mold , wait for it to cool and they sell the bottles over again.

Answer 7

The best way to dispose of waste plastic is to recycle it.