Promoting Mixed Plastic Recycling Witnesses Mixed Results – Hopes Beam for a Better Future

Those who believe plastic is mankind’s frenemy say Aye! In about a thousand articles, blogs and other media releases that have been circulating over the past two decades, plastic has been named as one of the most wanted criminals that have been charged with robbing the environment of its health. This fact is true to the last word. But then there are very many reasons that support the cause of plastic giving it some credit for being helpful in many ways than all-damaging. Say for example, the debate of energy efficiency as far as the manufacturing process is concerned always rests in favor of plastic.

This basically means manufacturing a plastic container would consume far lesser energy than what may be required to manufacture its glass counterpart. SO, in a way it can be said that plastic consumes less to give more. Considering its longevity / lifespan (that is the time before it begins to decompose), utility of plastic can be stretched to levels beyond imagination. The problem though rests with the fact that there is a thousand times more plastic on the surface of the planet today and the actual figures are way more than tolerable limits. Reclaiming energy from already manufactured plastic can be just as easy as setting them on fire. However this involves releasing toxic gases into the atmosphere that can be lethally hazardous to health.

Recycling plastics is established as the best way to ensure a healthy supply of the material in the market while not having to claim polymers from natural resources. Therein lays the issue that the world at large is facing for decades together. Plastics basically come in many forms not all of which are recyclable. When collected from households or other areas of disposal, the recycling plants usually come across a mind boggling mix which becomes practically impossible to treat.

As has been witnessed over the decades, mixed plastic recycling is one of the toughest procedures to put into action with no assurance of functional or profitable results. This usually intimidates recycling bodies to even consider it as an option. In fact, many plastic recycling plants have shut down their operations following losses after losses that they could not undertake any more. However, certain nations like China are known for leading the international waste trade by importing over 3 million tons of waste plastic every year and recycling them to make usable and functional products.

If this becomes a norm, the world could witness a significant reduction in the manufacture of new plastic from freshly derived polymers which in turn will conserve natural resources while preventing waste accumulation at the same time.