Recycling Plastics

When it comes to the end of a plastics life - Most are recyclable. This means that they can be melted down and reformed in a new way. A plastic bottle may become a door mat for example. For this recycle stage there are guide lines set out to show what plastics are the same as what plastics. This guideline is called the Plastic Identification Code (PIC).  This code has been followed by Americans since 1988 and was joined by Australia in 1990.

In the city of Whitehorse we have two bins- one is for general waste and the other is for recyclable goods. In this bin we place plastics and glass bottles of the correct nature for recycling on the site and by external recourses. Along with the recycling of plastics and glass the city of white horse also collects and recycles both ex- computer parts, mobile phones and batteries. An excellent use of the rubber that is brought to the centre it to turn old car tyres into the soft fall for playgrounds.

Due to some plastics not being biodegradable these plastics cannot be recycled. They do not break down on their own and need artificial assistance to be recycled. These become general wast and therefore landfill. this landfill are big issues in countries like India and the Asian continent on a whole.

Another problem is that things like plastic bags can cause issues. the biggest outstanding one at the moment is the plastic bag island in the pacific ocean, It covers a huge amount of space and is a threat to all the marine life around it, particularly turtles.

References:

Plastics Identification Code

PIC Guide