In the 1950s the worldwide consumption of plastic was approximately 5 million tonnes. Today this has reached about 100 million tonnes! The importance of plastic recycling is therefore clear, particularly as plastic is made from the depleting reserves of oil. There are hundreds of varieties of plastic, all of which are suitable for plastic recycling. Despite this it is estimated that only 7% of the UK’s 3 million tonnes of annual plastic waste is recycled.
In the UK, packaging accounts for approximately 35% of all plastic usage and plastic makes up about 7% of the average household dustbin waste. At the moment most of that waste ends up in landfill sites. It is therefore important that we increase the amount of plastic recycling. Local authorities differ in the plastic they collect for recycling, so check with them to find out what they will take away for you. Our local recycling page may direct you to useful information on this. Alternatively, you may be able to take your plastic to a recycling centre near to your home. Recycled plastic can be made into a wide variety of products and you can search a comprehensive database of recycled plastic products at the Recycled Products Guide
As well as plastic recycling, there are also other ways we can reduce the amount of plastic filling our landfill sites. In the first instance choose products with minimal packaging. Supermarkets are under ever more pressure to decrease the amount of packaging they use, but we can also do our bit by not putting all our loose fruit and vegetables in plastic bags, for example. Do those bananas really need it? And take your own bags for your shopping rather than using the free plastic bags. In addition we should reuse plastic wherever possible as this is actually better than recycling, using less energy and resources. And, of course, using products made from recycled plastic where available reduces the amount of new plastic produced.
For more information on plastic recycling visit www.wasteonline.org.uk and also www.recoup.org
For further information on Recycling click on the links below
