Monday 21 April 2008

Why Recycle Plastics?



Plastic bottles are made from oil which is a fossil fuel that will one day run out. In Britain alone we throw away about 9 billion bottles every year! Many of which currently end up in landfill.

Almost all plastic bottles are made from 1 of 3 types of plastic:
1. PET e.g. fizzy drink bottles, cordial bottles, cooking oil bottles
2. HDPE e.g. milk & fruit juice bottles, washing up bottles, fabric conditioner bottles
3. PVC e.g. still mineral bottles, bottles for toiletries, cordial bottles

PET bottles can be recycled to make a variety of end products, including
  • fleece clothing
  • sleeping bags
  • anoraks
  • new packaging
  • industrial strapping
  • wall and floor coverings

ECO FACT: It takes 25 x 2 litre plastic bottles to make 1 adult-size fleece jacket

HDPE bottles can be recycled to make a variety of end products, including:

  • fences
  • park benches
  • sign posts
  • It can also be put back into bottles to be recycled again and again.

PVC bottles can be recycled and used to make a variety of end products, including

  • drainage pipes
  • electrical fittings
  • clothing

ECO FACT: Recycling 1 plastic bottle saves enough energy to run a 60-watt light bulb for 6 hours

Recycling bottles does make a difference – plastic bottle recycling cuts down on waste and saves energy.

The UK now has over 4,900 plastic bottle banks and over 5.4 million households can have their plastic bottles collected as part of a kerbside collection scheme.

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