The plastic water bottle most of us throw into our recycle bin is made from a type-1 plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. When a bottle is recycled, it’s often transformed into new PET bottles, but it can also be used to make polyester carpet fiber, t-shirts, and industrial strapping.
When you toss a plastic bottle in your recycling bin, it goes by train or truck to waste-sorting facilities, often called materials recovery facilities (MRFs). From there, the plastic is separated out from other recyclables, including paper, glass, and metals. It’s then sorted by like plastics, such as bags and films or bottles. Then it’s baled and shipped off to the next stage of processing.
This is a great start, but there’s more work to be done. MRFs are expensive to operate, and the government and local communities need to provide incentives or subsidies for them to survive. More recycling bins in public places, such as at gas stations, would also help. And laws that mandate a minimum amount of recycled content in bottles would send a strong message to the market and reduce the price of virgin plastics, Schedler says.
Most importantly, we need to encourage the use of reusable water bottles and metal straws. By reducing the amount of plastic we consume, we can limit the damage that is caused to our environment and health.
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