Every year, the average American consumes over 250 pounds of plastic waste, most of which comes from packaging. So what do we do with all this?
Trash cans are part of the solution, but many of us don’t understand what to put in there. What is recyclable in one community may be trash in another.
This interactive study looks at some of the plastic recycling systems that are meant to be treated and explains why other plastic packaging should not be thrown in the trash.
In the store we found it covering vegetables, meats and cheeses. It is common but cannot be recycled because it is difficult to dispose of in material recovery facilities (MRFs). MRF sorts, packages and sells items collected from homes, offices and other locations through public and private recycling programs. The film has wound around the equipment, causing the operation to stop.
Small plastics, about 3 inches or less, can also cause problems when recycling equipment. Bread bag clips, pill wrappers, disposable condiment bags – all these small parts get stuck or fall off the belts and gears of the MRF machine. As a result, they are treated like trash. Plastic tampon applicators are not recyclable, they are simply thrown away.
This type of package flattened out on the MRF conveyor belt and ended up missorted and mixed with paper, rendering the entire bale unsalable.
Even if the bags are collected and separated by recyclers, no one will buy them because there is no useful product or end market for this type of plastic yet.
Flexible packaging, such as potato chip bags, are made from layers of various types of plastic, usually with an aluminum coating. It is impossible to easily separate the layers and capture the desired resin.
Not recyclable. Mail-order recycling companies such as TerraCycle say they will be taking some of these items back.
Like flexible packaging, these containers pose a challenge to recycling systems because they are made from several different types of plastic: the shiny sticky label is one type of plastic, the safety cap is another, and the swivel gears are another type of plastic.
These are the types of items that the recycling system is designed to process. The containers are strong, don’t flatten like paper, and are made from plastic that manufacturers can easily sell for items like carpets, woolen clothing, and even more plastic bottles.
As for headgear, some sorting companies expect people to put them on, while others require people to take them off. This depends on what equipment is available at your local recycling facility. Lids can become dangerous if you keep them open and the MRF can’t handle them. Bottles are subjected to high pressure during the sorting and packaging process, which can cause caps to break off at high speeds, potentially causing injury to workers. However, other MRFs may capture and recycle these caps. Ask what your local institution prefers.
Bottles with caps or openings that are the same size or smaller than the base of the bottle can be recycled. Bottles used for laundry detergent and personal care products such as shampoo and soap are recyclable. If the spray tip contains a metal spring, remove it and throw it in the trash. About a third of all plastic bottles are recycled into new products.
Flip tops are made from the same type of plastic as beverage bottles, but not every recycler can handle them. This is because the shape of the clamshell affects the structure of the plastic, making it difficult to recycle.
You may notice that the cot and many other plastic containers have a number inside a triangle with an arrow. This numbering system from 1 to 7 is called the resin identification code. It was developed in the late 1980s to help processors (not consumers) identify the type of resin a plastic is made from. This does not necessarily mean that the item is recyclable.
They can often be recycled on the roadside, but not always. Check it out on the spot. Clean the tub before placing it in the tray.
These containers are usually marked with a 5 inside a triangle. Bathtubs are usually made from a mixture of different plastics. This makes it difficult for recyclers to sell to companies that would prefer to use one type of plastic for their production.
However, this is not always the case. Waste Management, a waste collection and recycling company, said it worked with a manufacturer that turned yogurt, sour cream and butter cans into paint cans, among other things.
Styrofoam, like the one used in meat packaging or egg cartons, is mostly air. A special machine is needed to remove the air and compact the material into patties or pieces for resale. These foamed products are of little value because very little material remains after the air is removed.
Dozens of US cities have banned plastic foam. Just this year, the states of Maine and Maryland passed a ban on polystyrene food containers.
However, some communities have stations that recycle styrofoam that can be made into moldings and picture frames.
Plastic bags — such as those used to wrap bread, newspapers and cereal, as well as sandwich bags, dry cleaning bags, and grocery bags — pose the same challenges as plastic film when compared to recycling equipment. However, bags and wrappers, such as paper towels, can be returned to the grocery store for recycling. Thin plastic films cannot.
Major grocery chains across the country, including Walmart and Target, have about 18,000 plastic bag bins. These retailers ship the plastic to recyclers who use the material in products like laminate flooring.
How2Recycle labels are appearing on more products in grocery stores. Created by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and a non-profit recycling organization called GreenBlue, the label aims to provide consumers with clear instructions about the recyclability of packaging. GreenBlue says there are more than 2,500 labels in circulation on products ranging from cereal boxes to toilet bowl cleaners.
MRFs vary greatly. Some mutual funds are well funded as part of larger companies. Some of them are administered by municipalities. The rest are small private enterprises.
The separated recyclables are pressed into bales and sold to companies that reuse the material to make other goods, such as clothing or furniture, or other plastic containers.
Recycling recommendations can seem very idiosyncratic because every business works differently. They have different equipment and different markets for plastic, and these markets are constantly evolving.
Recycling is a business where products are vulnerable to fluctuations in product markets. Sometimes it is cheaper for packers to make products from virgin plastic than to buy recycled plastic.
One of the reasons so much plastic packaging ends up in incinerators, landfills and the oceans is that it is not meant to be recycled. MRF operators say they are working with manufacturers to create packaging that can be recycled within the capabilities of the current system.
We also don’t recycle as much as possible. Plastic bottles, for example, are a desirable product for recyclers, but only about a third of all plastic bottles end up in trash cans.
That is, not a “loop of desires.” Do not throw items such as lights, batteries, medical waste, and baby diapers in sidewalk trash cans. (However, some of these items can be recycled using a separate program. Please check locally.)
Recycling means being a participant in the global scrap trade. Every year the trade introduces hundreds of millions of tons of plastic. In 2018, China stopped importing most of its plastic waste from the US, so now the entire plastics production chain – from the oil industry to recyclers – is under pressure to figure out what to do with it.
Recycling alone will not solve the waste problem, but many see it as an important part of an overall strategy that also includes reducing packaging and replacing single-use items with reusable materials.
This item was originally posted on August 21, 2019. This is part of NPR’s “Plastic Wave” show, which focuses on the impact of plastic waste on the environment.
Post time: Jul-31-2023