What Plastics Cannot Be Recycled
There are so many plastics out there that i was confused about which ones can be recycled and which ones cannot.
What plastics cannot be recycled. There are approximately 18 000 plastic bag drop off bins at major grocery store chains. Different plastics lose durability and quality as they are recycled this is due to the shortening and weakening of the fibres that make up the plastic. To help uk households get it right the industry has compiled a list of some of the most common misconceptions about what can and cannot be recycled. Nearly every product we consume is packaged with plastic.
2025 is a long way off when plastics are in. Styrofoam or expanded polystyrene of any kind cannot be recycled. From a technical point of view the only plastics that physically cannot be recycled are the plastics known as thermosets and the cured cross linked relatives paint and tires. Some sacks and carrier bags can also be recycled as can clothes made from polyester.
A weaker and lower quality plastic either won t meet the standard of performance it needs to or won t have as much economic value. This includes packing peanuts used in moving boxes styrofoam coffee cups or food containers coolers etc. It s already been recycled too many times. In the event that your recycling center has the capability to recycle these generally non recyclable plastics they can be transformed into useful items like egg cartons vents speed bumps cables paneling and more.
Thermosets are plastics that can not be simply melted back into a. About a third of all kinds of plastic bottles get recycled into new products. But there are solutions consumers can take their own reusable containers to shops and retailers can use more recycled and recyclable materials. Numbers 3 6 and 7 generally cannot be recycled though some recycling centers have the technological capability.
This interactive explores some of the plastics the recycling system was designed to handle and explains why other plastic. On the other hand the following types of plastics cannot be recycled. Styrofoam can neither be recycled nor does it biodegrade and you should be careful to limit your use of these types of products see references 2. The most common plastic products that are prime candidates for recycling are those used as containers for food and drinks.
3 pvc polyvinyl chloride 6 ps polystyrene 7 other. Top items that people wrongly think can be. Plastics are one of the most widely used consumer materials in the world.