When you recycle plastic you often
think of the good old #1’s and #2’s that are so prevalent in our households
across the nation. What many consumers do not realize is that car parts,
packaging, phones, even plastic wine corks pose a problem with their
recyclability. Most of these products are made from different types of plastic
and cannot be recycled together. They fall into the #7 or “other” types of plastic we just don’t know how dispose of or recycle. With our preference for
the “convenient” lifestyle, it is often not the first choice to recycle large
quantities of plastic. In fact, only 8% of total plastic waste was recycled in
2010. Thirty one million tons of plastic was generated on 2010, which means
that roughly twenty eight tons of plastic was placed in a landfill or other
area where it is unable to be reused. Of course, recycling rates vary for
different types of plastic–such as PET, or #1 plastics and HDPE, or #2
plastics–at twenty-nine and twenty eight percent respectively. The United
States is in the position where we have the opportunity and the infrastructure
to recycle even just #1 and #2 plastics at much higher percentages.
Those recycling percentages are
just a handful of facts provided from the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). The EPA provides great information about types of plastics and how they
are recycled.
Being aware of the types of plastics and how they are
recycled is important. However, many towns, cities, and counties do not accept
most types of plastic and some do not even offer recycling programs. This is
unfortunate because so much plastic could be reused for many different purposes.
To find a local recycling location that recycles plastic and other materials,
please visit the following websites to learn more. If your town or city doesn’t
offer a recycling program, consider starting one of your own recycling
programs!
The lack of recycling programs
could be a reason why many around the globe are of the belief that “plastic is
evil” and that we should no longer use plastics as a source for many of our
products. But where would we get 90% of our goods if it were not for plastic?
Laptops, TV’s, cell phones, much of the packaging our food is transported in,
toothbrushes to brush our teeth, and so many other products require plastics to
be produced. What could even be used to replace plastics? We should stop
thinking of plastic as an evil human by-product that ends up in the ocean.
There are many benefits to recycling plastic besides keeping plastic out of the
ocean. By recycling plastic, there is less need for new petroleum and natural
gas (the two main resources for plastic production) to be extracted, which
causes few greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby lowers the global carbon
footprint! So, if consumers are responsible, recycle their plastics and take
some extra effort to recycle more, we can have a long lasting healthy
relationship with plastic.
In fact, Green Park Store DOES have
a long lasting healthy relationship with plastic! All of our products are made
in the U.S.A. with recycled plastic. They are 100% recycled and 100%
recyclable! Our website features Recycled Adirondack Chairs and other great
outdoor furniture:
Be sure to check out the blog next week to learn more about
WHERE those plastics other than #1 and #2 are being processed and reused!
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