Why cant we recycle all plastics?

Question

Why cant we recycle all plastics?

Answer 1

exactly what Trbld1 said..not all plastics are the same

Answer 2

Actually we can using heat compression. A process that is gaining ground with startup companies (especially in Australia, United States and Japan) is Heat Compression. The heat compression process takes all unsorted, cleaned plastic in all forms, from soft plastic bags to hard industrial waste, and mixes the load in tumblers (large rotating drums resembling giant clothes dryers). The process generates heat from the friction of the plastic materials rubbing against each other inside the drum, eventually melting all, or most of the material. The materials are then pumped out of the drum through heated pipes into casting moulds. The most obvious benefit to this method is the fact that all plastic is recyclable, not just matching forms. But criticism rises from the energy costs of rotating the drums, and heating the post-melt pipes.

So the most likely reason it appears to you that we can't is because there isn't heat compression in use in your area and the method they use only splits the plastic into polymers which can only be recombined with similar kinds of plastic or they separate like oil and water.

Answer 3

Good question because this is a big landfill issue. It is also a question to ask the manufacturer, how can we recycle your products and I believe that should be in place before they are allowed to produce anything. Polluters should deal with their toxicity at the source and not give them to taxpayers while the companies profit.

Did you know San Francisco banned bottled water and plastic bags. Bottled water is just filtered tap water and the filtering further compromises the conductivity of the water.

Here is a link to a city with an aggressive recycle program. http://www.city.kelowna.bc.ca/CM/Page411... There is a link to new guidelines where we take all plastic bottles for curbside pickup, they don't take glass.

During the World Trade Centre cleanup, the construction waste threatened their landfill with the amount of waste and a city can't survive without landfills.

Ask your area about their recycle program and push them to do more because we need to live with the planet that sustains all life.

Answer 4

Well, some plastics cannot be recycled because they could have stored biological materials such as blood or needles. By law these plastics have to be incinerated because they could carry disease.

Answer 5

cos plastic exudes toxic fumes when melted. it would do more harm than good.

Answer 6

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comment on this link to get ur answers

Answer 7

Also differenet polymers are formed and react differently.  Some cannot just be melted and reformed as their structure is more crystaline.  Some lose strength everytime they're re-heated. And some can be melted and reformed almost endlessly.

These structure determine if and how recycling is done and what end products can be made.

Thi is also why different plastics cannot be mixed when recycled.

Answer 8

In theory, we can. While only a couple can be used for new plastic bottles or insulating fibres, any plastic that is not too badly contaminated can be a component in plastic lumber.