On February 2017, The Guardian published an article about how much of the plastics are recycled in the world. Everytime we go to the supermarket we see shelves full of food in plastic packagings or in boxes made of mixed materials and we simply take them without thinking where do they go after we throw them into the “Recycling” bin. We take for granted they will be recycled because they have the triangle with the arrows little symbol, right? Unfortunately… is not the case.
Below, we present a simple visual with the shocking numbers based on this publication. And even though there are companies trying to make biodegradable plastic, the problem is still there. See below some of the many reasons to give up on plastic and go zero waste.
![How much of the Plastic is actually Recycled? [Infographic] | ecogreenlove](https://ecogreenlove.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/04052017_recyclingnumbers.png "How much of the Plastic is actually Recycled? [Infographic] | ecogreenlove")
Visual by ecogreenlove.com
<a href="https://ecogreenlove.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/04052017_recyclingnumbers.png" target="_blank"><img class="wp-image-8655 size-full" title="How much of the Plastic is actually Recycled? [Infographic] | ecogreenlove" src="https://ecogreenlove.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/04052017_recyclingnumbers.png" alt="How much of the Plastic is actually Recycled? [Infographic] | ecogreenlove" width="760" height="2129" /></a> Source: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/feb/22/plastics-recycling-trash-chemicals-styrofoam-packaging" target="_blank">theguardian.com</a><br /> Visual by <a href="http://ecogreenlove.com">ecogreenlove.com</a>
Sources:
- Only 14% of plastics are recycled – can tech innovation tackle the rest? | February 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/feb/22/plastics-recycling-trash-chemicals-styrofoam-packaging - The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics | January 2016
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics - Innovative small companies
– http://www.agilyx.com/
– http://www.biocellection.com/
– http://cadeldeinking.com/en/
– http://www.saperatec.de/home/?L=1
💚 Can we fight it all? Zero Waste, Plastic-Free, Consumerism & Food Waste
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More great news about plastic. Every day I think about the fact that plastic can only be recycled so many times. My engineer friends say the polymers break down after just a few cycles. It just bugs the hell out of me!
I find this very discouraging. How much of what I toss in the recycle bin gets burned anyway? And how much good am I doing when after just a few trips through the system the plastic can no longer be used?
The only solution seems to be less usage of plastic in any form. Glass and aluminum seem to have endless cycles. I heard somewhere, years ago that over 90% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use and being recycled.
I would be fascinated, or depressed, if you could find more information on how many times our plastic bottles can be recycled.
Thank you! Yes, is discouraging when being conscious about the problematic and the fact that plastic is the material that everytime is processed is actually losing value and quality.
Here are 2 links I would recommend for further info:
• http://www.gd-environmental.co.uk/blog/how-many-times-can-you-recycle/
• http://earth911.com/business-policy/recycling-plastic-bottles-myths/
Cool. I’ll check those out.
Thanks for the info
Thank you for sharing! 💚
Thank you for sharing! 💚