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Plastics have become a fixture in today's world, but unfortunately this indispensable material has become a part of world in other ways. Plastics have found their way into our oceans and forests, and they take up a surprising amount of room in our nation's landfills. There's no way modern society can function without plastic, that's why some eco-friendly inventors are trying to find a way to deal with the negative environmental impact the material causes. Despite its recent popularity, recycling isn't by any means a new concept. In 400 BC Plato extolled the benefits of recycling, and archeological studies of ancient waste dumps have shown evidence of common house wastes being reused during times of resource scarcity. During war time the recycling of scrap metal was very encouraged, and some people were even able to make profitable scrap metal recycling businesses to meet needs. Interest in recycling grew again during the 1970's energy crisis, and since then the recycling of glass, metals, paper, and other materials has become common place. Recycling today Today there is a focus on recycling non-biodegradable materials like polystyrene (more commonly known by its trademark name of Styrofoam) and plastic. Manufacturing both polymers produces an awful lot of waste, and also requires the use of petroleum. Recycling the materials would drastically help lessen the negative impact they have on the environment. The Numbers Some people aren't aware of how severe the problem of plastic pollution is. Each person in the United States produces an estimated 4.6 pounds of trash every day in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that plastic made up 12% of the 254 million tons of waste that was generated in 2007. That equals out to about 30 million tons of plastic being generated in a single year. Those numbers are high, but people can significantly lower them if they choose to recycle their plastic products. For every one ton of plastic that is recycled, it's estimated that 7 yards of landfill space is saved from being buried under plastic. Recycling plastic isn't a new concept, but people are now starting to think of new ways to effectively recycle plastic. Plastics used for a variety of materials can be easily recycled and made into other useful materials. By recycling plastic bottles and PFA tubing you can help conserve the additional 80% of energy that’s typically used when making new plastic bottles, containers, and other items.
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