Plastic recycling

The term “plastic” comes from the Greek word “plastikos,” which means capable of being molded. Plastics have different properties that allow them to be molded and adapted to different shapes and applications. If we look closely, we see plastic elements in all areas: packaging, clothing, utensils, medical devices, appliances, transportation means…

What are plastics?

Plastics are materials that, composed of resins, proteins, and other substances, are easy to mold and can permanently change their shape through a certain level of compression and temperature.

Characteristics

Plastics are synthetic chemical substances, called polymers, with a macromolecular structure that can be molded through heat or pressure, and their main component is carbon. These polymers are large groupings of monomers joined together through a chemical process called polymerization. Plastics provide the necessary balance of properties that cannot be achieved with other materials, such as color, light weight, pleasant touch, and resistance to environmental and biological degradation.

• They are easy to work with and mold,
• They have a low production cost,
• They have low density,
• They are often impermeable,
• They are good electrical insulators,
• They are acceptable acoustic insulators,
• They are good thermal insulators, although most of them do not withstand very high temperatures,
• They are resistant to corrosion and many chemical factors.
• Some plastics are not biodegradable or easy to recycle, and if burned, they are highly polluting.

Types of plastics

• PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate): found in water or soda bottles, food packaging, and some medication containers.
• HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): used in shampoo bottles, detergent bottles, fabric softener bottles, among others.
• PVC (Polyvinyl chloride): used in credit cards, pipes, plumbing, cable insulation, among others.
• LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene): used in plastic bags, adhesive film, among others.
• PP (Polypropylene): found in water or soda bottle caps, closures, food containers, straws, automotive parts, syringes, among others.
• PS (Polystyrene): used in cutlery, trays, cups for hot beverages, among others.
• Others: industrial parts, mattresses, water jugs, appliances.

Plastic recycling

Caring for the environment is an important topic that can be approached from various angles; one of them is recycling, a practice that aims to promote the processing of materials to reduce the impact on nature and keep them within the production cycle.

How to recycle plastics?

• PET: Make sure to wash the containers thoroughly and crush them before taking them to a collection center.
• HDPE: It is important for the containers to be clean, dry, and free from grease in order to recycle them. Depending on their color, they may require special treatment.
• PVC: These waste materials are taken to special centers for analysis and possible reuse.
• LDPE: It is recycled in a similar way to other plastics, but instead of grinding the waste, a technique called guillotining is used.
• PP: Mechanical recycling is used, but under the method of extrusion and injection, which involves melting and molding the materials at a constant flow and force.
• PS: Since this material is found in food-related items, it is necessary to leave the waste as clean as possible and free from organic residues for recycling.
• Others: In this category, waste is processed depending on the specific characteristics of the packaging. However, for those items with the number 7 in the Möbius loop symbol, there are few places that accept these waste materials (such as CDs) for recycling.