When recycling, why do so many items need to be melted down? Can't they just be sterilized and reused?

Question

It seems to me it would save a lot more resources. Batteries, bottles, etc.

Answer 1

The problem depends on the substance.

For instance, batteries, even rechargable ones, tend to migrate materials across the barrier layers.  In order to recycle them, they must be disassembled.  The easiest way to disassemble and purify the materials is to melt them.

For items like bottles, only glass bottles can stand the heat of total sterilization and then only some of them.  For a bottle to be sterilized, and not simply pasturized, the bottles need to be steam heated at 250 F for at least 30 to 40 minutes.  Plastics will deform and most glass bottles will get microfractures if they are not designed to handle it.  Microfractures can lead to breakage, and can harbor bacteria that will be able to hide from pasturization process.

It is just easier and more economical and healthier to melt them down.

Answer 2

Industrialization. You don't have a local bottling plant that serves 100,000 people. You have a big plant in China or the midwest that serves millions. Suppose you want glass. Well, your intake in the recycling stream includes wine bottles, beer bottles, broken dinner glasses, coke bottles, liquor bottles, and so on. Your machinery only works with a standard bottle that the machinery was designed for and that represents your brand identity. So, you order bottles that are made to fit your specs. It is cost effective to just melt it all down and pour the glass into moulds to make standard bottles.

Answer 3

Good question. Why not?

In some countries, this practice is still followed for colas and aerated drinks. Due to the high cost of aluminum cans and recycling this turns out to be economical. Aluminum cans cost 3 times or double that of a bottle of the same capacity. Once the liquid is consumed empty bottles are collected or dropped in strategic places and sent back to the factories where they are properly sterilized and re-filled with drinks. This might sound unusual or unhygienic but it was practiced in many countries before plastic became cheaper. Proper sterilization techniques have been developed and refilling bottles is very common.

Answer 4

Reduce, then reuse.  Lastly recycle.   Milk bottles used to be collected, washed and reused.   That would put people out of a job now; the people that make the milk cartons.   Look how they now say you shouldn't reuse water bottles; they leach toxins and are unsanitary.   The toxins leach into the water while it is sitting on a shelf at the store anyway and if you can wash dishes, you should be able to wash a bottle just as easily.   I buy glass bottles when possible and reuse them often.   Yougert containers also are a good size to freeze food in for personal uses.