Whether you are a jogger with a water bottle or a child at the zoo, you can recycle used water bottles. Bottle recycling is done through secondary processing, which depends on plant or facility owners to sort, wash, melt, and reshape the bottles into new ones. Here are a few advantages of secondary processing for your water bottles:
Cost
A commercial collection program has collected bottles from 45 bars and restaurants for several months in Berkeley. The program is estimated to collect several hundred pounds of plastic each week, mostly HDPE. The city estimated that the expanded program would only cost one-half FTE collection workers. However, they did expand the program beyond the commercial sector to include service to 9,000 apartment households in large buildings, 100 foodservice businesses, and 500 other buildings. These expanded programs are estimated to collect about 21 tons of HDPE and 50 tons of PET per year.
Many critics of the bottle bill argue that it would deprive recyclers of the valuable scrap needed to offset the processing costs of the less valuable materials. This argument gained considerable credibility in municipal governments and environmental groups. However, the bottle bill was recently defeated in Tennessee after compromising between the beverage industry and environmental groups. As a result, the state agreed to pay a small tax on beverage containers to help fund education programs and handouts promoting recycling. Learn more from Thorntons bottle recycling.
Energy
In the United States, two million plastic bottles are discarded every hour. A singleton of these bottles could supply enough energy to power the electricity needs of two households for an entire year. Sadly, less than three million tons of plastic bottles are recycled each year, and this represents only about 8% of all plastic waste disposed of in the United States. Despite billions of dollars in public campaigns, many people are still unsure how to properly recycle their bottles.
The production of glass bottles from virgin materials consumes a large amount of energy, as it requires about 30 per cent more than crushed used glass. Recycled glass can power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours, and one tin can contains 99 per cent steel. Recycling tin cans and bottles can save an estimated 60 to seventy per cent of energy, enough to power one-fifth of American households for a full year.
Water consumption
Recycling plastic water bottles has numerous benefits. Recycled bottles reduce the amount of plastic waste in landfills and oceans. They also create jobs for people who collect recyclables and work in recycling facilities. By doing so, you’re doing your part to help protect the world’s environment. In addition, recycling your bottles helps reduce water consumption and save money for businesses. By following these easy tips, you’ll soon be on your way to reducing water pollution and water consumption.
The process of making plastic bottles is energy-intensive and contributes to global warming. Recycled plastic water bottles require less energy and fossil fuels, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Making recycled plastic water bottles also conserves water: it takes about two-thirds less water than traditional manufacturing processes. Furthermore, recycling plastic water bottles helps reduce the strain on our traditional power grid based on burning fossil fuels. Learn more from Thorntons bottle recycling.
Environmental impact
Recyclable bottles are an important part of the global effort to reduce plastic waste. Unlike other recyclable materials, bottles are not broken down into smaller pieces and disposed of in landfills. Instead, the waste is ground, shredded, and melted into small pellets before being sold to companies that can make new products. Recycled plastic makes many plastic products, including household appliances and car parts. But there are many ways to reduce the impact of single-use plastic bottles on the environment.
Alternatives to bottle bills
Bottle bills differ from state to state, but they all share a basic premise: depositing plastic containers in a centralised system. In exchange for a small handling fee, retailers facilitate the exchange of deposits. States and producers retain some or all of the deposits for their recycling programs, but states can keep them in some cases. States like New York and Michigan share their unredeemed deposits with producers. But a bottle bill doesn’t solve all of the problems.