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An average household throws away 45 kg of plastic a year. It forms 9% of the total household waste. 36% of plastics are used in packaging Only 5% of plastics are recycled
Are made from oil
Oil is a fossil fuel so it is a non-renewable resource. It took millions of years to form under great pressure under the ground, from dead plants and will probably run out in the next half century.
Do not rot / are not biodegradable
They will stay in the ground forever Produce poisonous gases (dioxins) when burnt in incinerators Are difficult to sort into types for recycling
There are 6 main types which can be sorted by the number printed on them or by X-ray machines which measure the chlorine content They take up a lot of space and transporting them to a plastics recycling plant is a problem "Lightweighting" of plastic products has reduced the amount of material used and made them easier to crush
e. g. Carrier bags reduced from 47mm thick to 25mm Yoghurt pots from 12g to 5g
New types of plastics include biodegradable and photo degradable ones. There is even research into genetically modified plants producing biodegradable plastic! These will have limited use. Think of the problems of plastics which break down in the light! Many products can be made from recycled plastic eg bin liners, carrier bags, pipes, garden furniture, video and CD cases and fleeces to name a few! |
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