Recycled Plastic Granules: An Eco-Friendly Solution for Sustainable Development
Recycled Plastic Granules |
Plastic waste has become one of the
biggest environmental problems facing our planet. Despite efforts to reduce and
reuse plastics, millions of tonnes of plastic end up in landfills and oceans
every year causing immense damage. Recycling plastics into reusable plastic
granules provides a sustainable solution to this growing problem. This article
discusses how plastic granules made from recycled plastics can help alleviate
the plastic waste crisis and promote a circular plastics economy.
The plastic waste problem
Plastic production has increased
exponentially over the past few decades to meet growing consumer demand.
However, most plastics are designed for single-use applications and lack
recyclability. It is estimated that only around 9% of all plastics ever
produced have been recycled, with the rest ending up as waste. Each year, more
than 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated globally out of which
less than 20% is collected for recycling. The rest pollutes land and water
bodies polluting soil and oceans. Plastic waste in oceans is a severe threat
and it is estimated that by 2050 oceans will contain more plastics than fish.
This growing plastic burden has made effective plastic waste management an
urgent global priority.
The process of recycling plastics
into granules
Recycling plastic waste into
plastic granules involves collecting discarded plastics from different waste
streams like household, industrial and commercial waste. The plastics are then
sorted and cleaned to remove any contaminants. Different types of plastics like
PET, HDPE, PVC etc. are separated as they require different recycling
processes. The cleaned plastic flakes or bundles are melted and processed in an
extruder machine to form plastic pellets or granules. During extrusion,
additives may be blended to provide properties required in subsequent molding
or thermoforming applications. The recycled plastic granules can then be reused
as raw material inputs by various plastic product manufacturers.
Advantages of recycled plastic
granules
Using recycled plastic granules
provides multiple economic and environmental advantages:
- Reduced plastic waste:
Recycling plastics into granules diverts huge quantities of plastic waste from
landfills and oceans, helping solve the global plastic waste problem.
- Resource conservation: recycled
plastic granules help conserve valuable resources like crude oil and
natural gas used for primary plastic production. It reduces reliance on virgin
plastics.
- Lower carbon footprint:
Recycling plastics is significantly less energy intensive than producing virgin
plastics. It lowers greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint of plastic
products.
- Cost savings: Recycled plastic
granules are usually cheaper than virgin plastic pellets. It reduces production
costs for plastic product manufacturers.
- Sustainable solution: Recycling
plastics promotes the circular economy model where plastic materials are reused
repeatedly instead of becoming waste. It ensures plastics are used sustainably.
- Job creation: The plastic
recycling industry provides many jobs in collection, sorting, processing and
manufacture of value-added products from recycled plastic granules.
End uses of recycled plastic
granules
Recycled plastic granules find
numerous applications as feedstock in plastic product manufacturing:
- Packaging: Granules are used to
make flexible and rigid plastic packaging like carrier bags, trash bins,
containers etc.
- Construction: They are used in
making drainage pipes, fence posts, parking curbs, flooring tiles etc. for the
construction industry.
- Automotive: Car parts like
seating, dashboards, door trims etc. use recycled plastic feedstock.
- Textiles: Synthetic fabrics,
rugs and carpets contain recycled polyester and nylon.
- Appliances: Major home
appliances contain recycled plastic resins in housings and other components.
- Consumer goods: Recycled
plastic granules go into making toys, frames, storage containers and various
consumer products.
Challenges in plastic recycling
Despite the advantages, plastic
recycling still faces some challenges that need to be addressed:
- Limited collection
infrastructure in many regions leads to low plastic waste collection rates.
- Presence of multiple polymer
types and contamination hinder effective sorting at waste recovery facilities.
- Limited end markets and demand
for recycled plastics due to quality issues compared to virgin resins.
- Lack of extended producer
responsibility laws in many countries leads to improper waste management.
- Absence of design for
recyclability in plastic products further hinders collection and recycling
efforts.
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