Recycling and reusing plastics is important for plastic waste disposal so it doesn’t just end up in bins. Plastic is much more difficult to recycle than glass, aluminium or paper. Problems with recycling plastics is that plastics are often made up of more than one kind of polymer or there maybe fibre added to the plastic.
Plastic polymers require greater processing to be recycled as each type melts at different temperatures and has different properties, so careful separation is necessary. Most plastics are not highly compatible with one another. Polyethlene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles have proven to have high recyclability and are taken by most curbside and drop-off bin recycling programs.
The growth of bottle recycling has been facilitated by the development of processing technologies that increase product purities and reduce operational costs. In a disposable society we need a commitment like Australian Packaging Covenant which exists to make sure that our society and producers reduce rubbish waste, make packaging more recyclable and improve the collection of used materials so they don’t just end up in bins. We are in the midst of a disposable revolution, that is a mindset where we produce it, use it and dispose of it.
