Recycling reuses waste polymers instead of sending them to landfill. There are two main approaches.Mechanical recycling: the waste is collected and sorted into the different types of polymer, often using the numbered resin identification codes printed on products. Each type is washed, shredded into flakes, then melted and remoulded into new products, such as fleece clothing made from drinks bottles. This only works for polymers that soften on heating (thermoplastics).Feedstock (chemical) recycling: waste polymers are heated to break them down (cracking) into monomers or small hydrocarbon molecules. These are used as feedstock to make new polymers and other chemicals. Mixed or dirty plastic can be used.Benefits:
• conserves crude oil, the raw material for most polymers
• usually uses less energy than making new polymer from crude oil
• reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill
• reduces carbon dioxide emissions compared with making new polymer or burning wasteDrawbacks:
• collecting, transporting and sorting plastics costs money and energy, and sorting is difficult
• mixing different polymers gives a lower quality product
• the polymer chains are damaged each time, so quality decreases with each cycle and a polymer can only be recycled a limited number of times
• contaminated plastics, for example with food waste, are hard to recycleRecycling is part of a sustainable approach alongside reducing plastic use and reusing products.
• conserves crude oil, the raw material for most polymers
• usually uses less energy than making new polymer from crude oil
• reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill
• reduces carbon dioxide emissions compared with making new polymer or burning wasteDrawbacks:
• collecting, transporting and sorting plastics costs money and energy, and sorting is difficult
• mixing different polymers gives a lower quality product
• the polymer chains are damaged each time, so quality decreases with each cycle and a polymer can only be recycled a limited number of times
• contaminated plastics, for example with food waste, are hard to recycleRecycling is part of a sustainable approach alongside reducing plastic use and reusing products.