Ethan Clarke
Plastic is everywhere. It is cheap to make and highly profitable, but it is also having a devastating impact on the environment. Currently, only 10-15% of plastic waste is recycled annually, with the rest incinerated, buried in landfills, or dumped as litter. The plastic that is recycled is often downcycled, meaning it is turned into lower-quality products. This is because plastic degrades with each turnover, making it difficult to recycle on a broad scale. The recycling process involves sorting, shredding, and melting down the plastic, and it can be identified through its absorption of light. Despite the efforts of recycling plants, the majority of plastic waste is not being recycled, and the impact on the environment is severe.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic waste management | Only 10-15% of plastic waste is recycled annually, with the rest incinerated, buried in landfills, or dumped as litter |
| Plastic recycling facilities | Plastic recycling facilities use various techniques such as optical sorting machines, sink-float separators, magnets, and washing to sort and clean plastic waste |
| Plastic shredding | Plastic is shredded or ground into smaller flakes or pieces using methods like Hammer Mills and Shear Shredders |
| Plastic extrusion | The shredded plastic is melted and forced through an extruder, then cut into pellets to be sold to manufacturers |
| Chemical recycling | Chemical recycling facilities convert plastic waste into higher-value products, but environmentalists question whether this process is truly recycling |
| Plastic pollution | Plastic waste contributes to pollution, with microplastics found in oceans, snow, rainfall, air, and even human blood |
| Environmental impact | Plastic recycling plants can emit air pollution and hazardous waste, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color |
| Industry awareness | The plastic industry has long been aware of the challenges of recycling plastic, but promoted recycling to sell more plastic |
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What You'll Learn
Sorting and shredding
Sorting plastic for recycling is a critical step in the process. It ensures that only the correct type of plastic is recycled and that any remaining contamination is removed. Sorting may take place at a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), where the mixed recycling is removed from collection vehicles and mechanically placed onto conveyer belts. The conveyer belts help to maintain a constant flow of waste passing through the sorting facility. A variety of techniques are then used to separate the materials, including manual picking, optical sorting machines, and sink-float separators. Trommels, or cylindrical drums with holes, can also be used to separate finer materials.
Once the plastic has been sorted, it is washed to remove any residual waste, food, adhesives, or labels. This stage is important as it helps to ensure the final quality of the recyclate. After washing, the plastic is then sent for shredding or grinding into smaller flakes. This process, known as extrusion, involves melting down the plastic and forcing it through an extruder, where it is cut into pellets. These pellets are then sold to manufacturers.
Different types of shredders are used depending on the specific requirements and classification of the plastic. For example, Hammer Mills are used to pulverize plastics in a rotary drum using swivelling hammers. On the other hand, Shear Shredders use rotary cutters and guillotines to cut plastics to industry size requirements. Further sorting may be required after the shredding process to ensure a pure stream of material.
While the sorting and shredding process is essential, it is also costly and time-consuming. As a result, the recycling of plastic often does not occur on a broad scale. In addition, the low cost of using oil to produce plastic means that recycling plastic waste is not always economically viable. Despite these challenges, some companies are committed to boosting the percentage of recycled content in their products and are investing in advanced recycling plants. These plants aim to produce higher-value end products from recycled plastic rather than simply disposing of it in landfills.
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Cleaning and washing
While recycling plants are working on new ways to break down 'unrecyclable' plastic waste, the onus is on the public to ensure that the plastic waste they generate is cleaned and washed before being recycled.
The first step in cleaning and washing plastic items for recycling is to remove any food residue or organic matter. This can be done by rinsing the item with water, preferably warm water, and ensuring that most of the gunk or residue is removed. Some people choose to fill the container with water and swish it around vigorously, while others prefer to let the item soak in water overnight before giving it a final rinse. It is important to note that the use of soap or detergents is not recommended as it can contaminate the plastic and affect its recyclability.
For items with stubborn residue or grease, such as pizza boxes or containers with dried-on food, a more thorough cleaning may be required. However, it is still advised to avoid the use of soap and stick to using only water for rinsing and soaking. It is worth mentioning that some recycling facilities have different requirements and may accept items with a certain level of contamination. The national average for acceptable contamination is around 20%.
It is also important to be mindful of water usage when cleaning and washing plastic items for recycling. One technique is to reuse water, similar to how one would reuse water when doing the dishes, and only use clean, warm water for the final rinse. This helps maintain the ""green" effect of recycling and ensures that water is conserved.
By following these steps and guidelines, individuals can ensure that their plastic waste is properly cleaned and washed before being recycled, contributing to a greener and more sustainable environment.
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Optical sorting
Cimbria, a Denmark-based company, is a leader in the optical sorting industry, with over 50 years of experience. Their optical sorters are installed in more than 400 plastic sorting plants worldwide, including in Canada, North America, India, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru. The performance of an optical sorter is heavily influenced by the software it uses, and Cimbria's in-house software development allows for interconnected equipment and advanced data analysis. This enables recycling plants to make informed decisions and improve their productivity.
The Plastisavio plant in Bertinoro, Italy, is an example of a recycling facility that utilizes Cimbria's optical sorting technology. They specialize in recycling electrical and electronic products, such as refrigerators, through a dry recycling process of polystyrene. Pier Paolo Rossi, General Manager at Plastisavio, highlights the importance of optical sorting technology in the plastic recycling industry, stating that it allows for the recovery of materials that were previously unthinkable to recycle.
The development and application of high-tech optical sorting solutions have led to extremely precise material separation, resulting in purification rates of up to 99.99% of sorted plastic. This technology is an important tool in addressing the global issue of plastic pollution and contributes to international efforts to reduce plastic waste.
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Sink-float separation
The sink-float separation tank is an essential piece of equipment in plastic recycling, especially in the case of PET bottles. These bottles are often granulated whole, resulting in a mix of different plastics that need to be separated. The sink-float separation tank provides an efficient and effective way to separate these plastics based on their densities. The tank is typically 4-6 meters long and is equipped with rotating drums to move the plastic pieces forward and into the water. This lengthy process allows the different plastics to separate and soak, resulting in a cleaner material stream.
The basic principle behind sink-float separation is gravity separation, which can be achieved through a simple apparatus with low complexity. The process is selective and has a high capacity for separation. It is also possible to alter the fluid's density within the tank by adding additives, which can improve the separation process for certain types of plastics.
The pilot-scale plant "Plastic Reborn" is an example of a facility that utilises sink-float separation to process post-consumer plastics for feedstock recycling. This plant was designed to separate polyolefins (POs) from diverse waste fractions containing PCP, enhancing the recycling process. The floating particles, representing POs, are directly fed into the vortex of the CFS, while the residual waste sinks and is discharged near the apparatus wall.
Overall, sink-float separation is a critical process in plastic recycling, allowing recycling plants to effectively separate plastics of different densities and improve the efficiency of the recycling process.
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Chemical recycling
Gasification and pyrolysis are two different approaches to chemical recycling. In gasification, waste materials are heated to very high temperatures (1000-1500 °C) in low-oxygen environments. The oxygen breaks the molecules down into their simplest components, resulting in syngas (a mix of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide). This can be used to produce a variety of chemicals for plastic production, fuel, and fertilizer. Pyrolysis, or thermal cracking, involves heating plastic waste to temperatures over 400 °C under low-oxygen conditions. This breaks down long polymer chains into basic hydrocarbon products like gas, wax, diesel, and naphtha, which can be fed into petrochemical plants to create polyethylene and polypropylene.
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Frequently asked questions
Recycling plants are using a variety of methods to recycle plastics, including sorting, shredding, melting, and chemical recycling. However, it is important to note that not all plastics are recycled, and some are sent to landfills, incinerated, or dumped as litter.
The process of recycling plastics involves sorting, shredding or grinding, melting, and creating new products. Plastics are sorted by type, size, colour, and thickness, then washed to remove contaminants. They are then shredded or ground into smaller pieces, melted down and forced through an extruder to form pellets, which are sold to manufacturers.
Chemical recycling involves converting plastic waste into a higher-value product that can be sold, rather than simply disposing of it. It does not involve the handling or disposal of waste but instead uses processes like pyrolysis and gasification to break down plastics.
No, not all plastics are recycled. Only about 10-15% of plastic waste is recycled annually, with the rest ending up in landfills, incinerated, or dumped as litter. Some plastics, such as numbers 1, 2, and 5, are more commonly recycled or downcycled into lower-quality products.
Recycling plastics can be costly and infeasible, especially when it comes to separating and sorting different types of plastics. Additionally, the recycling process can generate hazardous waste and contribute to environmental racism, with recycling plants often located in low-income communities of colour.
