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Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state. For instance, this could mean melting down soft drink bottles then casting them as plastic chairs and tables.
Before recycling, plastics are sorted according to their resin identification code, a method of categorization of polymer types, that was developed by the Society of Plastics Engineers in 1988. Polyethylene terephthalate, commonly referred to as PET, for instance, has a resin code of 1.
1 Processing
2 Applications
Processing
When compared to other materials like glass and metal materials, plastic polymers require greater processing to be recycled.[citation needed] Plastics have a low entropy of mixing, which is due to the high molecular weight of their large polymer chains. A macromolecule interacts with its environment along its entire length, so its enthalpy of mixing is large compared to that of an organic molecule with a similar structure. Heating alone is not enough to dissolve such a large molecule; because of this, plastics must often be of nearly identical composition in order to mix efficiently.
When different types of plastics are melted together they tend to phase-separate, like oil and water, and set in these layers. The phase boundaries cause structural weakness in the resulting material, meaning that polymer blends are only useful in limited applications.
Another barrier to recycling is the widespread use of dyes, fillers, and other additives in plastics. The polymer is generally too viscous to economically remove fillers, and would be damaged by many of the processes that could cheaply remove the added dyes. Additives are less widely used in beverage containers and plastic bags, allowing them to be recycled more frequently.
The use of biodegradable plastics is increasing. If some of these get mixed in the other plastics for recycling, the recycled plastic is less valuable.
Applications
Post-consumer PET (number 1) is often sorted into different color fractions. This sorted post-consumer PET waste is crushed, pressed into bales and offered for sale to recycling companies. PET flakes are used as the raw material for a range of products that would otherwise be made of polyester.
PVC- or Vinyl Recycling has historically been difficult to perfect on the industrial scale.[citation needed] But within the last decade several viable methods for recycling or upcycling PVC plastic have been developed.
The most-often recycled plastic, HDPE or number 2, is downcycled into plastic lumber, tables, roadside curbs, benches, truck cargo liners, trash receptacles, stationery (e.g rulers) and other durable plastic products and is usually in demand.
The white plastic foam peanuts used as packing material are often accepted by shipping stores for reuse.
In Israel successful trials have shown that plastic films recovered from mixed municipal waste streams can be recycled into useful household products such as buckets.
Similarly, agricultural plastics such as mulch film, drip tape and silage bags are being diverted from the waste stream and successfully recycled into much larger products for industrial applications such as plastic composite railroad ties. Historically, these agricultural plastics have primarily been either landfilled or burned on-site in the fields of individual farms.
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Glass recycling is the process of turning waste glass into usable products. Depending on the end use, this commonly includes separating it into different colors because glass colors are achieved through the addition of different ions to the glass mixture. The major types of glass used for consumer containers are:
Flint glass,
Green glass,
Brown/Amber glass
Glass makes up a large component of household and industrial waste due to its weight and density. The glass component in municipal waste is usually made up of bottles, broken glassware, light bulbs and other items. Glass recycling uses less energy than manufacturing glass from sand, lime and soda. Every tonne of waste glass recycled into new items saves 315 kg of carbon dioxide.Glass that is crushed and ready to be remelted is called cullet.
1 Glass reuse
2 Glass collection
3 Glass recycling
3.1 Secondary uses for recycled glass
3.2 Glass Recycling in the United States
4 Germany
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Glass reuse
Reuse of glass containers is preferable to recycling according to the waste hierarchy. Refillable bottles are used extensively in many European countries, Canada and until relatively recently, in the United States. In Denmark 98% of bottles are refillable and 98% of those are returned by consumers. [2] A similarly high number is reported for beer bottles in Canada.[3] These systems are typically supported by container deposit laws and other regulations. In some developing nations like India and Brazil, the cost of new bottles often forces manufacturers to collect and refill old glass bottles for selling carbonated and other drinks.
Glass collection
Vehicle emptying a glass bank in Europe
Glass collection points, known as Bottle Banks are very common near shopping centers, at civic amenity sites and in local neighborhoods in the United Kingdom. The first Bottle Bank was introduced by Stanley Race CBE, then president of the Glass Manufacturers’ Federation and Ron England in Barnsley on 6 June 1977;
Bottle Banks commonly stand beside collection points for other recyclable waste like paper, metals and plastics. Local, municipal waste collectors usually have one central point for all types of waste in which large glass containers are located. There are now over 50,000 bottle banks in the United Kingdom.
Most collection points have separate bins for clear, green and amber/brown glass. Glass reprocessors require separation by colour as the different colours of glass are usually chemically incompatible. Heat-resistant glass like Pyrex or borosilicate glass should not be disposed of in the glass container as even a single piece of such material will alter the viscosity of the fluid in the furnace at remelt.
Glass recycling
The 600 ml beer bottle is the standard reused bottle in Brazil. It was extended from beer to popular carbonated drinks.
752,000 tons of glass is now recycled annually in the United Kingdom.[5] Glass is an ideal material for recycling and where it is used for new glass container manufacture it is virtually infinitely recyclable. The use of recycled glass in new containers helps save energy. It helps in brick and ceramic manufacture, and it conserves raw materials, reduces energy consumption, and reduces the volume of waste sent to landfill.
Secondary uses for recycled glass
In the United Kingdom, the waste recycling industry cannot consume all of the recycled container glass that will become available over the coming years, mainly due to the colour imbalance between that which is manufactured and that which is consumed. The UK imports much more green glass in the form of wine bottles than it uses, leading to a surplus amount for recycling.
The resulting surplus of green glass from imported bottles may be exported to producing countries, or used locally in the growing diversity of secondary end uses for recycled glass.[7] Cory Environmental are presently shipping glass cullet from the UK to Portugal.
Secondary markets for glass recycling may include:
Glass in ceramic sanitary ware production
Glass as a flux agent in brick manufacture
Glass in astroturf and related applications (e.g. top dressing, root zone) material or golf bunker sand
Glass as water filtration media
Glass as an abrasive
Mixed glass waste streams can also be recycled and converted into an aggregate. Mixed waste streams may be collected from materials recovery facilities or mechanical biological treatment systems. Some facilities can sort out mixed waste streams into different colours using electro-optical sorting units. |
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What is Organic Waste Composting
There is a great deal of talk these days about all things organic and there is also some confusion about what the term organic waste means. It is any type of waste product that comes from a biological origin. Some examples of organic materials which end up becoming waste products are -
* Paper based products, including cardboard and newsprint
* Food products
* Green waste such as lawn and garden waste
* Animal feces
* Biosolids and various sludge materials
The process that organic matter goes through to become waste is called composting. The composting process breaks down the microorganisms in the organic material through a combination of exposure to heat, moisture, oxygen and bacteria. Once this organic material has passed through this decomposing process, it can be reused as a very effective soil additive.
The fact of the matter is that even though most people don't think about it in these terms, organic waste is an essential and life-giving part of the cycle of life on earth. There is no doubt that the natural decomposition and composting process is simply nature's way of recycling.
Once organic materials are gathered together in a compost pile, the microorganisms rapidly increase in number and essentially grow into a community that "colonizes" the composter. Through the natural biological functions of the microorganisms, the organic components are systematically broken down and the result is a nutrient rich compost.
As the bacterial microorganisms grow, they assimilate the starches, sugars and organic acids found in the waste matter. A side effect of their activity is a rise in the temperature in the center-most portion of the compost heap. Eventually, the temperature of the core of the compost pile will reach more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit and this heat contributes to the escalating decomposition of the material.
When the busy bacteria have consumed all of the sugars and starches and other materials they feast upon, the interior temperature of the compost heap begins to fall. As the temperatures become lower, other kinds of microorganisms, such as fungi, become more dominant in the composting community. At this stage the waste is considered to be stabilizing but there are still biological activities going on which will affect the woody elements of the compost mixture, allowing them to be broken down as well.
In order to continue through the composting process, the compost heap needs to be turned. This is a simple process that brings the material that is on the edges of the heap into the center so that it can be exposed to this process of heating as described above. It is recommended to allow the compost pile to sit undisturbed for approximately two weeks between turnings.
Organic waste can continue to be added to the composting pile. As time goes by and the compost heap is properly turned, all the organic components will have the opportunity to break down. After approximately six months of managing the compost pile, the resulting compost can be used as a very effective soil additive and fertilizer that will help produce a healthy and thriving vegetable garden, or for larger organic farming endeavors. |
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About 8 million pounds of textile waste is not recycled and is land filled each year. Recycling Industries is experienced in the implementation, management, and marketing of all textile waste generated in today's textile recycling industry. We buy and sell all grades of textile waste such as:
All specialty textile fibers and fabrics
• 100% cotton wastes
• 100% cotton terry sheerings
• 100% cotton clips
• 100%cotton center cut denim
We will maximize the market value of all your textile waste by moving your textile waste directly from source to the textile mill. Recycling Industries will market all your textile waste with the availability of balers, trailers, containers, and hauling. In essence, with the tremendous growth that now faces the textile and textile recycling industries, Recycling Industries is prepared to keep up the pace of all textile waste generated as we textile recycle into the new economy
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| Wood is a substantial renewable resource that can be used as a fuel to generate electric power and useful thermal output. Wood for use as fuel comes from a wide variety of sources. The Nation’s forestland (or timberland) is the primary, and in most cases original, resource base for fuelwood. Wood for fuel use is also derived from private land clearing and silvi-culture and from urban tree and landscape residues. A third major wood resource is waste wood, which includes manufacturing and wood processing wastes, as well as construction and demolition debris. |
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