The 7 deadly plastics
In as much as most people turn a blind eye to the plastics problem in our environment, there are things you can do, as individuals, households, or small business’. This series of fun articles addresses each plastic of the 7 deadly plastics, their characteristics, dangers, and what you can do with each one.
The 7 deadly plastics and what you can do with them.
The polythermal nature of the plastics (melts and liquefies, and can be remoulded) that end up in our oceans, are what makes recycling so much fun. But it’s not easy, and there are many pre-requirements to hot recycling.
To hot recycle, the waste plastic needs to be clean. Free of moisture or any contaminant. Of a pure form, as in one plastic type only. And shredded finely. Or it will not recycle and thereby taking advantage of the amazing reusable qualities, that make plastics so wondrously recyclable.
Mixed plastic waste (your dustbin’s contents), cannot be melted at one specific melting point. This is a huge problem we are facing globally. We can not process mixed plastics. They can only be gasified. But are burnt or sent to landfill at the moment. Causing complications in the atmosphere and for the environment. Coupled with the contamination (food and grime) of plastic waste, we end up with 90% or more going to landfill or being burnt. China used to buy plastic in, take out the good stuff (20% or so), and burn the rest?! They stopped doing this a few years back and right now every port in the world is facing a huge parking problem for containers full of contaminated plastic.
There is only one way out so far (except for gasifying), for mixed contaminated plastics. Cold recycle. That is to shred the plastic and hot recycle what is possible, and the rest also is shredded and cleaned and is then used for construction material. As aggregate in concrete and in concrete products like bricks and blocks. Up to 20% of plastic aggregate can be used. And since concrete is the second most used substance on the planet (next to water), a lot of mixed plastic can go this way. It just needs to be cleaned. Mechanically or by hand.
Behavioural change for all of us
However. For the future, basic changes in our day to day behaviour are appropriate. Right from the unwrapping of food, or leaving the tackle shop, we need already to have started the recycling process. It’s a philosophy and a lifestyle change. A paradigm shift for an entire planet.
Wash your chocolate wrappers in the sink. Sometimes you can use the dishwasher the same time you do your dishes, to wash your plastic containers. Leave plastic packaging at the shop you bought it from if you are not going to process or use it at home on your own. Don’t buy food or goods in plastic packaging wherever possible. Use your choices. Do the right thing. From the start.
Never buy anything in packaging that is not clearly marked as recyclable by the (usually) green triangle and number badge. The corporations that used mixed or non-recyclable plastics need to learn the hard way.
What happens when you burn plastic?
PP and HDPE or LDPE are like a candle, even if they burn, nothing really bad will happen. These plastics can burn with little more result than emissions from wood and coal. Or a candle.
BUT…burning other kinds of plastics release all kinds of toxic compounds such as chloride gas, carbon monoxide, dioxins and furans (Agent Orange ingredients) and even cyanide. All likely carcinogens too. Melting plastic at the exact right temperature is ok, burning it is NOT!
Polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene are made of carbon and hydrogen, whilst PET, used for bottles, contains oxygen too. The same stuff that fossil fuels are made of – and wood and coal!
Plastics are ‘long-chain hydrocarbons’ and are made of the same oil, as their ‘short-chain hydrocarbon’ relatives – petrol and diesel.
The bad guys
PVC gets chlorine added in too. Nylon, a polyamide, also contains oxygen and nitrogen in its makeup. Polystyrene gets chlorine and dioxins.
So as you can see, some plastics are ok for burning or incineration, and the products that come from that. Energy. Heating. But in a very controlled environment. This practice does not harm us or the environment if the plastic is a ‘good’ plastic environmentally.
The other group of plastics (the bad guys) are not ok to burn since they have had additives (flame retardants, plasticisers, dies and inks…this is a very long list that we will get to soon) that produce poisonous gas when burned or incinerated.
The Seven Deadly Plastics TOC…(there are many more, unfortunately)
And so we begin…with Number One through 7.
- PET (coming online in a day or two)
- HDPE
- PVC
- LDPE
- PP
- PS
- * all other plastics
The Number 7 category is an abomination of taxonomy referring to any plastic that is not purely of either of the above 6, as in it is mixed, or has additives to propagate characteristics beneficial to industry and profit, but not the environment.
Some of these Number 7’s can be recycled on not contaminated, but follow the link for that full story.
The TOC (Table of Contents) will have the plastics 1 through 7 links activated over the next few days as we upload.
Thank you for taking the time to read all about the 7 Deadly plastics. We will release each plastic’s Z-Card as we go over the next little while.
Stay posted!
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