Why It's Important to Recycle Plastic: The Advantages of Plastic to Plastic Recycling

The food industry is the number 1 producer of plastic. This includes single use packaging, plastic wraps, as well as bucket, bins, tools and PPE used in processing. All of which could and should be recycled.

Consumers of plastic products can make a difference, and corporations and brand owners can lead the charge. With an appropriate plastic recycling approach, businesses can reduce hazardous waste output.

Here are 5 significant advantages of plastic-to-plastic recycling for businesses to consider:

1. Reduces Pollution Across Ecosystems

Greenhouse gases are a major reason for the increasing pollution levels in our environment. They are the driving factor behind climate change – a pressing issue which the whole world is striving to mitigate today. During the manufacturing of plastics, petroleum is burned. This in produces greenhouse gases. Recycling plastic instead of manufacturing it from scratch hence indirectly reduces emission of hazardous greenhouse gases. Recycling plastic to new plastic uses 80% less energy than making virgin plastic and greatly reduces carbon emissions.

Land and sea species, including endangered ones, are suffering from impacts from plastic. Plastic waste in landfills and in the oceans, breaks down into micro plastic. These micro-plastics pollute our soil and harms wildlife. Diverting plastic into recycling animal species crucial to the food chain.

Requires Less Energy and Helps Conserve Natural Resources

Manufacturing of plastic from scratch requires much more energy compared to producing products from recycled plastic. The energy saved can be used for other important requirements in the economy. Also, the manufacturing process requires natural resources such as water, petroleum, natural gas and coal as raw material. Hence, plastic recycling saves precious natural resources. For example, petroleum, which is crucial for making new plastic products is - around 40% of petroleum consumption can be reduced by simply recycling discarded and old plastic waste.

Saves Fast-depleting Landfill Space

Landfill sites are fast diminishing. The growing human population means that habitable land is becoming more and more valuable with each passing day. Proper waste management through reusing and recycling of plastics can save significant amount of landfill space. 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space can be saved by recycling 1 ton of plastic.

Eases the Demand on Fossil Fuel Consumption

Millions of barrels of crude oil are used to fuel the demand for plastics in a single year. Recycling plastics is the most sustainable option to reduce fossil fuel consumption. Since oil is a finite natural resource, recycling plastic and recovering as much raw material as is possible, the consumption of crude oil can be reduced significantly. Besides, plastic recycling also saves the energy required to produce new materials. A ton of recycled plastic saves 7,200 kilowatt-hours of electricity or about enough energy to run a household for seven months, according to a study from Stanford University.

Promotes a Sustainable Lifestyle

Business greatly impacts the lifestyle of communities in which they operate. If businesses work along with their internal and external stakeholders towards creating awareness and promoting positive impacts of plastic reuse and recycling, they are bound to bring about a sea change towards environment conservation.

With technological advancements in waste management for plastic recycling, the scenario is gradually improving. Today, it has become relatively easy to recycle plastic even at an industrial level.

Amerisan in partnership with Recircle has taken the lead in the food industry to help food manufacturers recycle PPE and color-coded polypropylene tools. Our program allows companies, large and small, to easily recycle post use PPE and old plastic tools used for food contact, sanitation, and many other applications. Recircle collects this recycled plastic waste and turns it into new plastic products, which is not only the right thing to do, but also the most impactful and environmentally friendly way to dispose of plastic. Amerisan with the help of Recircle is committed to keeping plastic out of landfills, rivers, and oceans in order to preserve our environment and make the planet a better place for future generations.

If businesses across the world integrate well-planned strategies for plastic reuse and recycling in their waste management approach, it will be a giant leap towards preserving our precious environment. Even small initiatives for plastic reuse and recycling can make a big difference towards environment conservation. So what steps is your business taking towards plastic recycling for environment conservation?