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How the world is reusing its plastic pollution

How the world is reusing its Plastic Pollution

At this point, it is important for us to realise that plastic pollution is a growing global menace, and it should be addressed. The global volume of mismanaged plastic is expected to quadruple by the year 2030, in comparison to 2020.  

We have many numbers of NGOs & innovators developing digital solutions for this unprecedented challenge. There are a lot of individuals driving change towards whole thought process of why we need to Recycle-Reduce-Reuse. This includes prominent entities, idols, and influencers alike. 

More than half the world is busy trying to find solutions for the existing pile of rubbish. What we need are more production environments to lean towards simplifying and standardising their products. Eventually, all the plastic products we produce should be easier to recycle and reduce. This means bringing changes in specific to design and manufacturing phase. 

 

The 21st century has achieved several milestones on production, recycling, and reusing plastics. Yet there are noteworthy mentions that have made or have conceptualised change that is simply revolutionary. Let us look at a few of these. 

 

  • ByBlock by ByFusion (Los Angeles)

    This company has developed a machine that turns single-use plastics into “ByBlock.” ByBlocks are similar in size and shape to the concrete blocks we use during construction. ByBlocks are made entirely of reclaimed plastic waste and is moulded with the dimensions of a hollow cement block.

    The company has taken it a step further as they become carbon neutral themselves. As per the team, their systems, and manufacturing process is all electric. The company is selling both its blocker system and blocks. They are set to empower communities worldwide with the ability to build their own blocks to use in local building projects.
     

  • Olefy by VTT Research Center (Finland)

    As per Matti Nieminen, the Head of Technology for Olefy and the principal scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre, Olefy is a chemical recycling process which produces olefins, benzene, toluene, xylene and other recycled hydrocarbons. All these products are either virgin grade or close and can be used even for the most demanding application. As per VTT, the technology and the product has been under development for more than 40 years.

    “One of the problems with current recycling methods is that the quality degrades every time plastic is recycled. After several rounds of mechanical recycling, the quality becomes too poor, and the plastic is no longer usable and goes to a landfill. With the Olefy recycling process, the quality of the plastic is equal to virgin grade, so it can be recycled indefinitely, and materials no longer need to end up in landfills.”, says Nieminen
     

  • Thaely by Ashay Bhave (Mumbai)

    Ashay Bhave presented the idea of shoes made of plastic and rubber during the Amity University’s EUREKA start-up competition in 2019. Thus, the brand named ‘Thaely’ meaning ‘plastic carry bags’ in Hindi started in July 2021. Thaely buys raw materials from waste management companies and turns them into their fabric, ThaelyTex with the help of their manufacturing process.

    Till date, Ashay has recycled over 50,000 plastic bags and 35,000 plastic bottles to produce Thaely Sustainable Sneakers. An even memorable milestone for the youngster followed as Swiss International School Dubai offered his shoes as part of their uniform. The school was impressed by Ashay’s achievement and wanted to inspire their students with his story.
     

  • PlastikGas (Texas)

    PlastikGas is a very peculiar company born out of necessity. They have developed a way to recycle plastic waste into usable fuel. They turn plastic into 6 high-grade, high-quality fuels and with a minimal environmental impact. The facility functions without the need of water and produces no methane emissions.

    The company has licensed their technology and will be aiding anyone who wishes to open a plant for themselves. Their engineering team will not only help you build, but they also provide 12 months of operational support. We can process anywhere from 7 tons to 75 tonnes of plastic per batch based on the size of the plant.
     

  • Bungkus (Malaysia)

    A group of artists, designers and recyclers came together to convert soft plastic waste into sustainable lifestyle pieces. They are solving Malaysia’s plastic bag problem into wearable statement pieces such as tote bags, carriers and more. Bungkus has told that they need up to 6 hours for a one-of-a-kind item to be crafted in a sustainable way.

    Bungkus spokesperson Chua Ken Jin tells us that they are currently focused on reducing Malaysia’s plastic waste. They expect to expand to other neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Thailand soon. Bungkus is driven by the thought of inspiring change in the way people think and act about plastic wastes produced in the hyper-consumer market. 

 

These are just a handful of individuals driving the change to sustainability and circular recycling. We can look forward to more companies that are willing to drive change. In the recent times, even giants like Coca-Cola and Johnny Walker have decided to make a shift towards sustainable packaging materials. It has become clear that Ineffective Waste Management Systems should be avoided for the future, particularly that of marine lives. 

 

We normally tend to think that we need an action plan to set things right and nothing less than that will be enough. In reality, all we need are minute changes backed by a solid will to enforce them in our everyday life. Revamping your house to a zero-waste environment is something that takes a lot of time and effort.

 

The Change

Starting off with minimising the usage of plastic in your house is easier and more effective. Follow it up with shifting to reusable containers in your kitchen. Then comes the transition of your power source to renewable energy like solar or wind.  

 

It is true that having a zero-waste economy is a long-term goal and it requires a group effort to make it a reality. At the end of the day, human beings may be consumers, yet we hold the power to choose what we consume.  

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Eco Friendly Guide to Make the Right Sustainable Choice

Eco Friendly Guide to Make the Right Sustainable Choice

Unexpectedly many people, organizations, and communities want to do more to safeguard and maintain our natural resources. Yet many are unsure about how to start becoming more eco friendly. The first thing you need to understand is how to start making a difference and what makes each of these components of our environment a part of the process of altering and preserving our resources.

Simply said, leading a more ecologically responsible lifestyle is being environmentally friendly. It only takes a few basic efforts to protect the environment and make the world a better place for our communities and future generations.

Need to Become Eco-friendly

Everything fits like a jigsaw; you can’t single out one company or practice and assign responsibility for all of our environmental problems. The more each of us contributes, the more quickly a whole ecosystem of life will be developed that supports sustainability. Learning the fundamentals of what each area of life can do to become more environmentally friendly is the first step.

The next stage is to begin learning how to change your awareness and resource usage by making personal decisions that assist. You can start practising conservation in more ways than you would think, and the improvements are surprisingly simple to implement.

 

Top Eco-Friendly Ways for Making the Right Choice

Be More Aware

Start by becoming more conscious of the resources you use on a daily basis. Be mindful of the way you travel, utilize water, and consume things that were produced using certain industrial techniques. Being aware is what will enable you to start making ecologically beneficial decisions.

Conserve Water

Water needs to be saved since it takes a lot of energy to pump water from lakes or rivers into your home. The quantity of energy required to filter water is decreased when it is conserved. Take brief showers, mend leaky pipes, keep the faucet flowing while you brush your teeth, recycle water within your house, utilize water-saving appliances, and collect rainfall in a rain barrel to water your grass are a few methods to conserve water.

Stop Food Wastage

Sometimes you purposely waste food, and other times you don’t. Whatever the cause, creating uneaten food wastes a variety of resources, including seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, work hours, and financial investments. At every stage, when you toss them away and the organic material ends up in the world’s garbage can, it also produces greenhouse gases, including methane. By preparing, serving, or ordering only what will be eaten and preventing waste, you may significantly improve the situation.

Purchase Recycled Product

Try to get items from the market that are made of recyclable materials and require less packaging when you go shopping; the item should be environmentally friendly. Look into the manufacturing procedures to see whether it was produced using plastics, chemicals, or recycled materials. The internet provides access to the tools and knowledge you need to repair almost anything. Learn how to recycle virtually everything, from batteries to paper to autos, so you can enhance your recycling and repair abilities. Try to repurpose anything before tossing it away so you may use it again.

Go Plastic Free

Plastic is here to stay. Today, whirling convergences that makeup roughly 40% of the ocean’s surface are home to billions of pounds of it. Numerous marine creatures and birds are killed each year as a result of swallowing plastic or being entangled in it. A few easy methods will help you start reducing your plastic waste:

  • Use reusable bags when you go shopping, do away with single-use water bottles, bags, and straws
  • Avoid anything manufactured of or packaged in plastic as much as possible

Go Green

Maintaining a healthy house increases energy efficiency, much as keeping your automobile in shape reduces fuel consumption. Make sure your house has enough insulation, energy-efficient windows, a programmed thermostat for better heating and cooling, and, of course, energy-saving lighting systems for better lighting. Today, a lot of states provide low-cost or free incentives to help you green your house or rental. Call your energy supplier to ask whether they give free energy audits or if they are aware of a business that does.

Go Digital

We may use less paper in the modern digital era by keeping data in files on computers instead of writing it out on paper. We gradually reduce our environmental impact. Another method is to use very little paper and shred it from the corner rather than scribbling in the centre. You can write something else on the remaining space on the page. We can reduce the number of trees chopped down each year, the energy required to produce paper, and our carbon footprint by using less paper.

Recycle Waste

The majority of the appliances we use at home are disposed of in landfills, which is bad for the environment. We should recycle the majority of our garbage if we want to reduce the quantity we send to landfills. Prior to recycling, you should understand how to segregate items and recycle them effectively. With the exception of paper goods that contain plastic or metal, almost all paper products may be recycled. Similar to how there are plastic varieties that can be recycled and some that cannot.

Get the Ideal Recycling Bin from Power Bear Designer Bins

In order to meet the need for a sustainable environment, collaborate with a company that offers the right recycling bins and dustbins. Power Bear designer bins offer you high-quality recycling bins and dustbins for your distinctive needs.

 

The majority of health problems nowadays are caused by the chemicals that waste releases into the atmosphere. To prevent harmful substances from leaking into the environment, the garbage we dispose of in landfills must also be constantly monitored.

Before making any purchases, you must know the answers to a number of questions. What is the product’s expected lifespan? How long can it be put to use? Will it be thrown out after serving its purpose? It’s time to start making purchases of reusable goods to live sustainably and eco friendly.

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Types of plastic to Recycle

Types of plastic to Recycle

The planet is now dominated by plastic. Whether you’re buying fruit or cleaning products, it has become inevitable in grocery shops. In your house, from your phone case to your cosmetic items, you may also find them everywhere. Plastic is unfortunately one of the major sources of garbage since it is so ubiquitous: A landfill can take up to 100 years to break down 91% of plastic, which means it goes there directly.

Types of plastic to recycle

Don’t punish yourself if you purchase anything that is wrapped in or made of plastic when there are several alternatives to use less plastic. Since it is used so regularly, it is really difficult to entirely stop using it.

So, learning how to use less plastic is one of the finest things you can do. Additionally, start paying more attention to the type of plastic an item is made of when you do decide to buy anything.

We have listed six varieties of plastic and all the information you need to know about each one, including how to properly recycle or properly dispose of a specific item. Moreover, how to prevent using particular plastics.

Polyethylene Terephthalate

Many sodas and water bottles include Polyethylene Terephthalate as their body material (PET or PETE). The bottle and container industries frequently utilize it since it is secure. Additionally, it is recyclable and simple to reuse and repurpose. Therefore, even if you get a single-use plastic item like a water bottle, there are several things you can take to prevent it from ending up in a landfill.

High-Density Polyethylene

It is a remarkably durable resin used for a variety of products, including shampoo bottles, playground equipment, lids, milk jugs, recycling bins, and shopping bags. It is thicker and tougher than PET because it is formed of long, unbranched polymer chains. Given that HDPE is one of the most easily recycled plastic polymers, most recycling facilities across the world accept it for disposal.

Polyvinyl Chloride

PVC, often known as vinyl, is one of three polymers that are particularly challenging to recycle using curb side recycling systems. As phthalates, which may be harmful to human health, have been connected to their emission, it has also been ruled hazardous. Backpacks, credit cards, household appliances, shampoo bottles, and other items can all be found to contain PVC. PVC is frequently used to manufacture even plastic wrap.

Low-Density Polyethylene

Low-density molecules in LDPE are what give this resin its thin and flexible shape. It can be produced easily and cheaply since it has the simplest structure of any plastic. It is not frequently recycled through curb side programs, despite being used in plastic bags, different receptacles, dispensing bottles, and most infamously for plastic wraps.

Polypropylene

One of the safest polymers, polypropylene (PP), has received FDA approval for use in contact with food. Because of this, containers for yogurt, cream cheese, butter, and other foods are frequently made with it. The polypropylene market, the second-most frequently manufactured commodity plastic, is anticipated to expand even further during the next years. It is tough and durable, can tolerate extreme temperatures, and is used in disposable diapers, vehicle components, thermal vests, yogurt containers, tupperware, and even clothing.

Polystyrene

One of the worst of the lot is polystyrene (PS), which Dow Chemical Company trademarks as Styrofoam. It is made of styrene, which is probably carcinogenic to humans. Additionally, it is difficult to recycle, so items like takeout containers, throwaway plates, coffee cups, and foam packaging typically wind up in the trash unless you can find a reputable drop-off place nearby.

Barriers in Recycling

Practically most plastic could be recycled. Though, several obstacles might thwart this procedure. Unfortunately, doing so is not always practical in terms of the environment, the economy, or technology. The following are some barriers to recycling:

  • Items frequently contain several layers and plastic kinds that are difficult to separate, making recycling labour-intensive and expensive.
  • Food and other items may often contaminate plastics, rendering the resins unfit for reuse.
  • Only until a significant volume of plastic is processed each day can be recycling plants, which cost millions to construct and maintain, become lucrative.
  • Due to poor efficiency and soaring prices, recycling lesser amounts of plastics may become unprofitable and uneconomical.

But resist giving up! Despite these obstacles, recycling still takes place, and amazing items are produced as a result. Most recycled plastic is derived from post-consumer materials. This implies that after passing through the proper procedure, the milk jugs, bottles, and packaging films that you discard in the recycling bin will turn into post-consumer recycled content!

 

How to Recycle Plastic?

Traditional Recycling

The most prevalent recycling process is this one. Another name for traditional recycling is mechanical recycling. This method enables the recycling of thermoplastic materials.

Plastics are often recycled by being melted down and made into new plastic products. Before employing an injection moulding process to create new objects, recycling businesses first melt the plastic.

Advanced Recycling

By using advanced recycling, plastic may be broken down via chemical reactions. Three additional approaches make up this technique. These methods consist of gasification, pyrolysis, and chemical recycling.

Recycling used plastic into crude oil is a process known as pyrolysis. Chemical recycling involves breaking down a polymer into a monomer that may be used to make new things. Manufacturers, for instance, use chemical recycling to create nylons.

Recycling techniques old and new both have advantages. The facilities available will, however, determine which of the two ways may be used. The recycling process is also determined by the final product a recycler wants to generate. Nonetheless, the recycling process is the same in all ways.

 

Numerous uses for plastics may be found in daily life. This article by Power Bear has described which plastic to recycle, and the advantages recycling plastic will bring to the planet. Therefore, don’t simply discard a plastic bottle when you’ve finished using it.

While recycling rates have risen over the past years in every nation, there is still a long way to go before plastic recycling reaches the same levels of material reuse as glass and aluminum. But with a little help from everyone, recycling will hopefully overtake disposal of plastic as the preferable option.

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