1. Recycling of Plastics

2. • 50 % of the plastic is used only once around the
world.
• Plastic accounts for around 10 % of the total waste
we generate.
• 51 % of plastic waste goes into landfills.
• Plastic constitutes approximately 90 % of all trash
floating on the ocean’s surface.
• Plastic takes 500 – 1000 years to degrade.
• Only around 27% of plastic bottles are recycled.
• 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-
consumer plastics.
• Recycling one ton of plastic saves 1,000–2,000
gallons of gasoline (crude petroleum).

3. Why Recycle ?
• In landfill, both synthetic and naturally occurring
polymers don’t get the necessary exposure to
UV by microbes to degrade.
• Recycling is a viable alternative in getting back
some of this energy in the case of some
polymers instead of incineration.

4. Types of plastics

5. 5-Steps for Plastic Recycling
1. Collection
2. Manual Sorting
3. Chipping
4. Washing
5. Pelleting

6. 1.Collection
• The recycling facilities gather available
recyclable plastic material in their area, such as
from roadside collections, special recycling
bins, or even directly from industries.

7. 2.Manual Sorting
• All plastic items that are collected are then
sorted according to the various plastic types
indicated by the plastic recycling symbols and
codes on them. Unwanted non-plastic materials
found in the piles are promptly taken out.

8. 3.Chipping
• After sorting, the sorted plastic products are
prepared for melting by being cut into small
pieces. The plastic items are fed into a machine
which has sets of blades that slice through the
material and break the plastic into tiny bits.

9. 4.Washing
• Residue of products originally contained in the
plastic items and various other contaminants
(e.g. paper labels, dirt) are removed.
• A particular wash solution consisting of an
alkaline, cationic detergent and water are used
to effectively get rid of all the contaminants on
the plastic material.

10. 5.Pelleting
• The cleaned and chipped pieces of plastic are
then melted down and put through a machine
which shapes the melted plastic into thin
noodle-like tubes. The plastic tubes are then cut
into small pellets. The pellets are then ready to
be reused and remade into new items.

11. Advantages
• Recycling one ton of plastic can save 7.4 cubic
yards of landfill space.
• Recycling plastic conserves the natural
resources and energy that would be required to
produce plastic from scratch.
• Protects Environment.
• Create Green Jobs.

12. Disadvantages
• When the material is melted down, VOCs
(volatile organic compounds) are released into
the atmosphere.
• After plastic has been recycled once, it’s very
rarely suitable for a second round of recycling.
• Much of recycled plastic finds its new home as
a less useful product.
• Setting up new recycling unit involves high cost.

13. THANK YOU