A world without plastic is almost unimaginable. But where does it all go when we no longer find a use for it?

In 1926, United States-based E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. began research into very large molecules and synthetic fibers. This early research, headed by W.H. Carothers, centered on what became nylon, the first synthetic fiber. Soon after, in the years 1939-41, British research chemists took interest in the du Pont studies and conducted their own research in the laboratories of Calico Printers Association, Ltd. This work resulted in the creation of the polyester fiber known

Plastic is a polymer known to be a non-biodegradable substance which is hazardous for the surrounding. Plastic cannot be decomposed by natural means unlike the biodegradable substances. The present world we live in is surrounded with billions of plastic products. If we recount that how many things we have used today we may easily find that most of things we have come around is made up of plastic. Thus, recycling of plastic bottles and other products provide us with huge busin

The news doesn’t appear to be good for the recycling industry. The front page of the Business & Finance section of the May 14, 2018, issue of the Wall Street Journal carried the headline, “Recycling Firms Hit by Crushing Economics,” and wrote in a sub-headline, “plunging prices for scrap paper, plastics prompt cities to send some items to landfills.” The WSJ article by Bob Tita quoted James Warner, CEO of the Solid Waste Management Authority in Lancaster County, PA: “Recyclin

Stage 1: Sorting When plastic items are taken to a recycling facility, they are first sorted according to plastic type. This is crucial because contamination can render a batch of materials unsuitable for reprocessing. Sorting is done manually or with machines using technology that recognises different sorts of plastic. Sorting machines are used to identify and separate large amounts of plastic. Advanced sorting machines come with infrared, x-ray or other cutting-edge sensors

Stemming from stories about the effect of plastic pollution on animals to microplastics in the Marianas Trench, awareness is growing about the impact of plastic waste on the environment. This, plus awareness of sustainable materials, has led to increased consumer adoption of environmentally friendly products with special attention given to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), also known as polyester. In addition to the waste and pollution aspects of plastics such as PET, the red

The rise in population has increased the amount of garbage that we generate. Sadly, inefficient waste management and the indifference of humanity created these toxic islands. Where are they located? There are several garbage islands in the ocean and the most "popular" of them is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The size cannot be pinned down since it’s constantly growing. The island is made up of pelagic plastic, debris and chemical sludge which got trapped in the North Pacif

An estimated 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the early 1950s, with 60 percent of it ending up in landfills or in open spaces. Annually eight millions tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans. As a result of this, for instance, a young whale in the Philippines died from 'gastric shock' after eating 40 kg of plastic bags, she washed ashore on March 16, 2019. This is just one of several examples of whales ingesting plastic. Images of storks wrapped in pla

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles don’t need to be recycled back into PET bottles. Market forces that affect the value of recycled PET are diverse. They include, but are not limited to: - the cost of competing raw materials and virgin resin - the availability and value of off-spec resin - the quality, quantity, and yield of the material collected - costs associated with collection, transportation, sorting, cleaning and washing; - and a diversity of end uses. A proclama

Yes, we should be using recycled PET in bottle applications. Although it may not be obvious to all, there’s been a sea change in the world of waste. I’m referring to the understanding that there must and will be shared responsibility for evolving solutions by all those involved in creating what we’ve historically called “waste.” This means that manufacturers, retailers, consumers, recyclers and haulers will have a hand in the evolution and implementation of practices that max