Introduction to Plastic Recycling
For the last 50 years, plastic consumption has continued to increase as this amazingly versatile and low-cost material continues to excel at countless new applications, ranging from improving food safety and distribution efficiency to helping to create lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Unfortunately, our collective ability to effectively recycle this material has lagged. In 2013, some 299 million tons of plastic were produced worldwide, according to the Worldwatch Institute, as plastic continues to replace over materials, notably metal and glass.
In the years between 1950 and 2011, on average, the industry grew at a rate of nine percent and is expected to track a similar level of expansion in the future. With this proliferation, the need to effectively recycle this material and keep it out of landfills has been magnified. In fact, while plastic comprised less than one percent of municipal solid waste in 1960, by the first decade of the 2000s it had reached double figures. Worldwide, a range between 22 percent and 43 percent of plastic is disposed of in landfills, according to the United Nations Environmental Program. Read More...
Article Courtesy: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/about-plastic-recycling-2877779
Source Courtesy: https://www.thebalancesmb.com
Article was originally published on: December 20, 2018