Plastic Recycling

Plastic is probably the perfect product to recycle. It is made from a rare, expensive and finite resource: petroleum. Recycled plastic can retain all its original qualities. If disposed of unwisely, plastic adds to environmental pollution.

Recycling plastic makes sense ecologically and economically. It reduces waste and saves costs. Many local authorities collect used plastic, such as empty soft drink or milk bottles, through recycling bins placed in public areas, at homes or in schools. For industry users there are companies that collect clean industrial plastic scrap, break it down, granulate and extrude it. They then either return the reprocessed plastic to the original source (called "tolling"); sell it as graded plastic resin; or process it into other useful items. These include plastic sheet products that save substantial costs in materials handling, such as slipsheets; underground utility protectors (cable covers); and other customised products.

Picture Gallery 40 Images over 3 pages. [1] [2] [3]

The sign on a plastic recycling bin © Auckland Zoo The Auckland Zoo encourages its visitors to care about the environment.