Plastic Innovations: Recycling

Recycling plastics: a win-win scenario for automakers

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Originally published on Examiner.com

As automakers turn to plastics and composites to trim weight and increase the safety of their vehicles, they’re also taking advantage of plastics recycling in the manufacturing process.

Plastics recycling comes with many advantages, among them a reduction in resources needed to produce new plastics and less reliance on landfills. Estimates state that recycling one ton of plastics saves 22 cubic meters of landfill space and conserves 80-90 percent of the energy used when making new items from plastics.

<b>Recycled plastics can be high quality
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Experience has shown that auto parts made from recycled plastics can have the same level of quality as those made with original materials. Though recycled plastics often have a different use in their next life, such as when plastics recycled from bumpers are made into mudguards, plastic car parts are sometimes recycled to make the same types of parts. For example, Ford reported that in Europe it is recycling bumpers that have been damaged into new bumpers and other plastic parts.

<b>What are plastics being recycled into?</b>

Recycling of plastics is not limited to what has been retrieved from obsolete automobiles, however. Manufacturers also use recycled plastics from bottles, containers, and other plastic items to make anything from seat cushions to dashboards to bumpers in their new vehicles.

<b>Wheel liners:</b> Chrysler has used recycled plastics in wheel liners for the Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler 200.

<b>Seat cushions:</b> Ford is the first automaker to use REPREVE®, a fiber made with recycled plastic water bottles, for seating fabric, introducing it in several 2013 and 2014 models including its Focus, Fusion, Edge, Mustang, and F-150. Ford needs 22 plastic 16-ounce water bottles to make the fabric for the seats of a Focus, 39 for the Fusion, and between 63 and 110 for the F-150, depending on the model. The company has said that any new seat fabric used in Ford vehicles must contain at least 25 percent recycled material.

<b>Radiator shrouds:</b> GM makes extensive use of recycled plastics. Plastic caps and shipping aids from its facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, are mixed with other materials to make 25 percent of the radiator shrouds for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks built at the plant.

<b>Air deflectors:</b> Air deflectors on GM’s Chevy Volt are made with 25 percent plastic caps from GM plants, 25 percent post-consumer plastic bottles, and 50 percent other recycled materials.

<b>Car interiors:</b> Jaguar Land Rover recently announced it was going to use recycled plastics in the interiors of some of its luxury vehicles. Land Rover already uses recycled materials throughout its popular Evoque model, equivalent to reusing one thousand 500ml plastic bottles.

<b>Bumpers:</b> Honda, in its 2013 North American Environmental Report, said that scrap bumpers generated in the manufacturing process (post-industrial bumpers or PIBs) at five of its plants in the U.S. and Canada are reformulated to make mud and splash guards. In fiscal year 2013, Honda recycled 620,858 pounds of PIBs.

— Mazda is recycling plastics from used bumpers to manufacture new bumpers for vehicles. The company uses a process to remove paint from old bumpers to create a recycled plastic resin for use in making new vehicle bumpers.

— Nissan stated that recycled plastics have been given new life in the form of bumpers for its electric vehicle LEAF and other new vehicles. The company also said that bumpers are being recycled into materials for other components.

Recycling is good business

What do car manufacturers gain from recycling? GM declared that recycling “makes good business sense,” with about $1 billion generated annually from recycling and reuse. Among the benefits, Ford noted that the use of recycled materials reduces consumer and industrial waste, cuts back on the depletion of natural resources, and reduces energy consumption.

In 2013, the EPA announced a change in the interpretation of its regulations that will allow for the recycling of plastics that are separated from automotive shredder residue (ASR), which could further add to the use of recycled plastics in automotive manufacturing. Plastics account for more than half of ASR. Now, instead of winding up in a landfill, 95 percent of the ASR plastics potentially could be used to produce new products such as automobile components.

The use of plastics and recycled plastics not only makes sense economically by simplifying the cost of making components, but it also helps manufacturers become good corporate citizens when it comes to the environment.

It’s a win-win situation all around.

Recycling plastics: a win-win scenario for automakers

Originally published on Examiner.com As automakers turn to plastics and composites to trim weight and increase the safety of their vehic...

What Does That Chasing Arrow Symbol on Plastics Mean?

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<br /></div>You know that little triangular symbol on the bottom of your plastic milk jug or detergent container or soft drink bottle? Looks sort of like chasing arrows with a number in the middle?

Any idea what that means?

As Professor Plastic, I’m glad I asked.

That little symbol was created in 1988 to identify the type of plastic (we call them resins) used to make the bottle, container, and packaging. It’s called a Resin Identification Code (RIC). Very official sounding, no?

Recyclers sometimes use this information to help them sort plastics for recycling, so people often think of the chasing arrows as a recycling symbol, but that’s not technically accurate.

While the RIC helped plastics recycling grow dramatically since the 1988, it often causes confusion among many people standing in front of their recycling bin wondering: can I recycle this?

Today, new and better ways to identify what packaging and products are recyclable have begun to shift focus away from the little symbol. For example, in the U.S. the Sustainable Packaging Coalition has created a “How2Recycle” label that explains more clearly what and how to recycle. Thankfully, the How2Recycle label is quickly catching on.

First—What Can Be Recycled?
When it comes to recycling plastics, where you live makes a big difference. The types of plastic items collected vary from place to place. So first always find out what plastics are accepted in your community… it’s as simple as searching online for “plastics recycling” and the name of your community. Or check out IWantToBeRecycled.org and type in your zip code. For some quick plastics recycling know-how, check out our list of The Ultimate 9 Quick Tips to Recycle More Plastics.

And remember: although flexible wraps and bags typically aren’t collected in curbside programs (please keep them out of your curbside bin!), more than 18,000 grocery and retail stores across the country do collect these plastics for recycling.

What Are Those Numbers in the Triangle All About?
So… what exactly do those numbers 1 through 7 stand for? Below is a list of the types of plastics (remember: resins), common packaging products made from them, and some products that may be made with that recycled plastic resin.

NOTE: These lists are not exhaustive. But I do get exhausted writing about how many things these days are made with recycled plastics…

1. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) or (PET)

Uses of PET include: bottles for soft drinks, water, sports drinks, beer, mouthwash, and salad dressing; food jars for peanut butter, jelly, and pickles; produce containers.

Products made with recycled PET include: fibers for carpet, fleece jackets, and comforter fill; containers for food, beverages, and non-food items; microwavable food trays and tote bags.

2. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Uses of HDPE include: bottles/jugs for milk, water, juice, cosmetics, shampoo, dish/laundry detergents, and household cleaners; containers for margarine, cottage cheese, and other foods; cereal box liners; trash and retail bags.

Products made with recycled HDPE include: bottles for items such as shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, household cleaners, motor oil, and antifreeze; plastic lumber for outdoor decking, fencing, and picnic tables; pipe, floor tiles, buckets, crates, flower pots, garden edging, and recycling bins.

3. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, Vinyl)

Uses of PVC include: deli and meat wrap, shrink wrap, retail product packaging (blister packs).

Products made with recycled PVC include: pipe, decking, fencing, paneling, gutters, carpet backing, floor tiles and mats, resilient flooring, mud flaps, cassette trays, electrical boxes, cables, traffic cones, garden hoses, mobile home skirting, packaging, and loose-leaf binders.

4. Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Uses of LDPE include: bags for dry cleaning, newspapers, bread, frozen foods, fresh produce, and household garbage; shrink wrap and stretch film, coatings for paper milk cartons and hot and cold beverage cups, container lids, and squeezable bottles (e.g. honey, mustard).

Products made with recycled LDPE include: shipping envelopes, garbage can liners, floor tile, paneling, furniture, compost bins, trash cans, landscape timber, and outdoor lumber.

5. Polypropylene (PP)

Uses of PP include: Containers for yogurt, margarine, take out meals, and deli foods; bottle caps and closures; bottles for medicine, syrup, and ketchup.

Products made with recycled PP include: automobile applications such as battery cases, signal lights, battery cables; brooms and brushes, ice scrapers, oil funnels, bicycle racks, garden rakes, storage bins, shipping pallets, and trays.

6. Polystyrene (PS)

Uses of PS include: foodservice items such as cups, plates, bowls, cutlery, and hinged take-out containers; meat and poultry trays, egg cartons, and food containers; protective packaging for electronics, furniture and other delicate items; packing peanuts, compact disc cases, and aspirin bottles.

Products made with recycled PS include: thermal insulation, picture frames, thermometers, light switch plates, vents, desk trays, license plate frames, cameras or video cassette casings, egg cartons, plastic moldings (i.e., wood replacement products), and expandable polystyrene (EPS) foam protective packaging.

7. Other

“Other”indicates that a package is made with a resin other than the six listed above or is made with more than one resin.

Uses of “other” plastic include: three- and five-gallon reusable water bottles and some citrus juice and ketchup bottles.

Products made with recycled “other” resin include: bottles and plastic lumber applications.

Now that you know what that little symbol means, help keep the momentum in plastics recycling going! Check out these plastics recycling tips to learn how to recycle everything you can.

What Does That Chasing Arrow Symbol on Plastics Mean?

You know that little triangular symbol on the bottom of your plastic milk jug or detergent container or soft drink bottle? Looks sort of li...

New developments in polyurethane processing and carbon recycling

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New developments in polyurethane processing and carbon recycling</h1>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQVs_zyUvGXhWHm4jhG5sLAbUr0LJ1jS_8NML08IC-DzWjPLEIqAdsaDJm-7GY_l1CRNpFlmIIr27dRGPhutnilSm-S6JYWPheH02FRkS8WXjCd6BDuf113CELtaRqivZCcuIGJLoS6Bc/s1600/cannon_sandwich_panel-990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQVs_zyUvGXhWHm4jhG5sLAbUr0LJ1jS_8NML08IC-DzWjPLEIqAdsaDJm-7GY_l1CRNpFlmIIr27dRGPhutnilSm-S6JYWPheH02FRkS8WXjCd6BDuf113CELtaRqivZCcuIGJLoS6Bc/s1600/cannon_sandwich_panel-990x742.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;">High-pressure mixing heads, vacuum-based foaming technology & Estrim RTM process</li>
<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;">New developments of Cannon at UTECH Asia / PU China 2014</li>
<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;">Chinese PU growth exceeds that of its GDP</li>
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From continuous foaming laminators to CRESIM (Carbon Recycling by Epoxy Special Impregnation): <span style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="-webkit-appearance: none; color: blue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.cannon.com/" style="-webkit-appearance: none; color: #2b2b2b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-appearance: none; color: blue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Cannon</span></a></span></span> will present several new developments at the UTECH Asia / PU China 2014, the International trade fair for polyurethanes, which will take place on 3 – 5 September 2014 in Shanghai. This international exhibition is the largest gathering of Polyurethane professionals in the region.</div>
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Cannon will present equipment for the production of insulated sea-going containers (also known as <span style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.plastics.gl/processing-misc/cannon-receives-usd-7-5-million-order-for-polyurethane-equipment/" style="-webkit-appearance: none; color: #2b2b2b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">reefers</a></span>), equipment for the spray distribution of rigid foams in Baypreg applications and production systems dedicated to the automotive and transportation industries, in particular for flexible seats, sound deadening elements, steering wheels, door panels and other car interior parts.</div>
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There will be a special focus on following technologies:</div>
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<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;"><strong style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">High-pressure mixing heads:</strong> for general purpose foams up to specialised applications such as filled and reinforced formulations, multi-component and multi-hardness foaming, high-output, cavity filling, industrial spray, clear coating. Six new or completely redesigned mixing heads will be illustrated.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHJ2pODvJ2MRk42RBom8X0YLBiekS9sLZPmziu045B8P-SVfXjLWmqKwVYV5guAFW0yG7MLOiBLomc5tBpMjgtlqmnkFwILTW_UxoH3eCHVfnQv2ua7z1sfhCYbRo1gCy7zViD8wK3ySZ/s1600/cannon_head-300x283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHJ2pODvJ2MRk42RBom8X0YLBiekS9sLZPmziu045B8P-SVfXjLWmqKwVYV5guAFW0yG7MLOiBLomc5tBpMjgtlqmnkFwILTW_UxoH3eCHVfnQv2ua7z1sfhCYbRo1gCy7zViD8wK3ySZ/s1600/cannon_head-300x283.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color: #888888; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px;">The Cannon JL 32 mixing head, designed for high-output applications with rigid foams, provides laminar flow and good mixing performances with all modern blowing agents (source: Cannon)</span><br />
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<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;"><strong style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Vacuum-based foaming technology:</strong> V.A.I. (Vacuum Assisted Injection) for the production of domestic refrigerators and sandwich panels, used in combination with the Pascal PUR chemical technology developed by The Dow Chemical Company. The first three Cannon V.A.I. refrigerator-foaming plants are operated in China by two of the world largest producers of white appliances, Haier and Meiling. Cannon will also present a V.A.I. conversion kit for the conversion of existing polymerisation presses for the discontinuous foaming of sandwich panels using DOW’s Pascal PRO formulations.</li>
<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-appearance: none; color: blue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.plastics.gl/automotive/loading-up-cfrps/" style="-webkit-appearance: none; color: #2b2b2b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-appearance: none; color: blue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Estrim</strong>:</span></a></span> a complete moulding solution for fast RTM process designed for the production of automotive, leisure and sport parts. In addition to dedicated preformers, polymerisation clamps and moulds, the company offers the E-System, high-pressure metering and mixing equipment that allows short demoulding times and good distribution of the resin across the entire mould surface.</li>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03R67pESi2BL8tIHpngvnipSdbgwMW3aMSXRpiOLYghW-FBKOJ9QetX4V9yGBtlS7jFBy5YTft5gRMLspm4sr-qn3Zx1t2S6BKzR43iAXhzZE6toy78qDXJolG_bHxOiwvM4jSoTXmNcx/s1600/cannon_clear_coating-300x198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03R67pESi2BL8tIHpngvnipSdbgwMW3aMSXRpiOLYghW-FBKOJ9QetX4V9yGBtlS7jFBy5YTft5gRMLspm4sr-qn3Zx1t2S6BKzR43iAXhzZE6toy78qDXJolG_bHxOiwvM4jSoTXmNcx/s1600/cannon_clear_coating-300x198.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #888888; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px;">A dedicated Cannon dosing unit has been designed for the application of Clear Coating formulations in automotive interior applications (source: Cannon)</span><br />
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<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;"><strong style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">CRESIM (Carbon Recycling by Epoxy Special Impregnation):</strong> the first industrial results of the CRESIM project, finally aimed at the development of a manufacturing process which will potentially reuse up to 100% of the Carbon fibre waste and scraps from different industrial sectors.</li>
<li style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px 3px 5px;"><strong style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Continuous foaming laminators:</strong> for sandwich panels, designed for increased productivity, energy efficiency and easy operation.</li>
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The Chinese PU market is one of the largest in the world and its PU growth exceeds that of its GDP. The main driver of the Chinese market is an expanding middle class creating increased demand for construction, automotive, furniture, bedding and domestic appliances.</div>
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<em style="-webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Main Picture: sandwich panels for the insulation of roofs and walls can be obtained with the rigid foam continuous laminators built by Cannon Ergos in Italy (source: Cannon)</em></div>
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New developments in polyurethane processing and carbon recycling

New developments in polyurethane processing and carbon recycling High-pressure mixing heads, vacuum-based foaming technology & Es...

Recycled Plastics: Help the Environment This School Year

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Recycled Plastics: Help the Environment This School Year</h1>
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Thanks to the increase in plastics recycling, it’s easier than ever to find everyday products, such as school supplies, made with recycled plastics. Here are some examples of things kids can use to have a successful school year while also helping the environment.</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Basic Supplies</em></strong></div>
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School supplies made with recycled plastics help divert used plastics from landfills to become a resource for making new products. When shopping online or in-store, look for many back-to-school necessities, such as folders, rulers, and scissors, made with recycled plastics.</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Backpacks</em></strong></div>
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For another great way to help the environment, look for backpacks made with recycled plastic fabrics. To make the fabrics, used plastics are melted, stretched into fibers, and woven into durable, lightweight, water-resistant materials that then are used to create backpacks in a large variety of sizes, colors, and styles.</div>
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To help protect food and generate less waste, look for durable lunch boxes and snack bags made with recycled plastics. Some boxes and bags also feature plastic foam insulation to help keep food cool, as well as airtight seals that can reduce exposure to air and keep food fresher.</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Back-to-School Clothing</em></strong></div>
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From jackets to T-shirts to school uniforms, look for styles made with recycled plastic fabrics. Thanks to the versatility of plastics, recycled plastic fabrics are available in a variety of weights and textures, from fleece to poplin. These fabrics are durable, comfortable, and surprisingly soft.</div>
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In more and more classrooms, portable technology is used as an integral part of learning. To help protect your kids’ expensive devices, look for tablet covers, laptop bags, and smart phone cases made with tough recycled plastics.</div>
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The use of recycled plastics in schools doesn’t end with the supplies you acquire for your kids. As the use of recycled plastics expands, schools are investing in durable playground equipment made with used plastic packaging. Depending on size, a single playground can help save tens of thousands of plastic containers from landfills.</div>
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Recycled Plastics: Help the Environment This School Year

Recycled Plastics: Help the Environment This School Year Thanks to the increase in plastics recycling, it’s easier than ever to find...

Recycled Plastic School Supplies: an Environmental Lesson

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Recycled Plastic School Supplies: an Environmental Lesson</h1>
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From preschool through senior year, kids need school stuff.  Even when back-to-school shopping is done, they still seem to need more and more stuff … when things go missing, for the class play, when something wears out — or just because.</div>
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Many school-related products from sneakers to Lacrosse pads are made from plastics, and more and more products are using recycled plastics.  So this year, when junior says, “Hey, I need a new …,” think recycled, and teach your budding Einstein an environmental lesson.</div>
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For example, the perfect backpack is a school staple, as kids today lug around what appear to be 400 pounds of books. For your littler ones, Beatrix makes backpacks with recycled plastics that are lightweight and easy to clean. The manufacturer says that each pack uses the equivalent of seven water bottles. For your somewhat larger kids, Green Smart offers cool backpacks, laptop sleeves, messenger bags, and water bottle coolers made with recycled plastics from bottles. Green Smart says the company has diverted more than 750,000 plastic bottles from waste.</div>
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Getting kids to eat their greens can be a chore. But perhaps they can <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">be</em> a bit greener at school mealtime with recycled plastic lunch bags. Readily available from many online sites, these bags commonly are made with recycled plastics from beverage bottles. For example, Clean Conscience lunch bags use approximately three recycled bottles, which recaptures the value of plastics — and teaches kids a valuable lesson.</div>
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“I need to write down something – hand me a refrigerator.” Pencils made from refrigerators? That’s right – BIC® now makes pencils with recycled polystyrene plastic from discarded refrigerators<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span> The recycled polystyrene pencils work just like traditional cedar pencils. One refrigerator produces enough polystyrene for 640 pencils – a great a lesson that something as simple as a pencil can make a difference.</div>
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For some kids, school seems all about the clothes. Companies such as Patagonia make fashionable cold and wet weather kid apparel out of recycled soda bottles and plastic fabrics. Jackets, vests, hats, gloves, sweat pants, under layers – all help close the recycling loop and give your kid something to brag (and feel good) about.</div>
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Recycled Plastic School Supplies: an Environmental Lesson

Recycled Plastic School Supplies: an Environmental Lesson From preschool through senior year, kids need school stuff. Even when back...

Can School Supplies Teach Our Children about Sustainability?

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Can School Supplies Teach Our Children about Sustainability?</h1>
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Adults and kids who are concerned about the environment often focus on the “stuff” they use, making efforts to waste less, recycle more, and purchase products made with recycled plastics and other materials. But what happens when our kids head off to school? What can parents and kids do to contribute to sustainability during the school day?</div>
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Many of the same things! More and more school supplies today are made with recycled plastics—so kids can help the environment during the school day, and parents can feel good about their purchases. For example …</div>
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Every kid wants a cool backpack for the school year, and parents want to make sure it will stand up to months—or hopefully years—of heavy lifting. And dropping. And dragging. Some companies now make tough, durable backpacks using fabrics made with recycled plastics. Thefabrics typically begin as water and soft drink bottles that are melted down, stretched into a fine thread, and woven. These backpacks help divert plastic bottles from landfills, and they’re available in all sorts of sizes, colors, and patterns to suit your child’s style.</div>
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Anyone who shops for school supplies is confronted with a seemingly infinite selection of pens and pencils. You can steer your kids toward sustainable options by looking for those made with recycled plastics. Some contain plastics from unlikely sources, such as used compact discs, car headlights—even cell phones—so they’re durable, long lasting, and sustainable. Now if the kids would just remember to bring them to class!</div>
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Reusable lunch bags and resealable containers help reduce waste all school year, and now you can find them made with recycled plastics. Several of these durable bags also have insulating properties to help keep food fresher until lunchtime, and the plastic cloth is easy to wipe clean.Reusable, resealable containers help protect your child’s food, and many are built to last for years—and many can then be recycled again.</div>
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Many schools ask students to bring art supplies to class. A shopping excursion is a great opportunity to look for arts and crafts supplies made with recycled plastics—rulers and scissors, for example—at many major retailers. And some major art supplies companies now sell products, such as markers and crayon sharpeners, with recycled plastic content.</div>
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If you’re the parent of a student who will be tackling complicated math problems, you’ll want to invest in a reliable calculator—and several recycled-plastic models now are available. And there are reusable mechanical pencils made with recycled plastics for those long (and fun!) nights of math homework.</div>
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Kids are showered with messages to do more and to buy more every school year. School supply shopping—throughout the year—can be a great time to talk with your kids about how recycling can help the environment by using less material and energy and requiring less landfilling. And how recycled products can help you and your student do more … with less.</div>
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Can School Supplies Teach Our Children about Sustainability?

Can School Supplies Teach Our Children about Sustainability? Adults and kids who are concerned about the environment often focus on t...

Recycled Plastics in the Garden—It’s All About The “Green”

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Recycled Plastics in the Garden—It’s All About The “Green”</h1>
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Our lawns and gardens seem to be all about the “green” …</div>
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We spend a lot of green on our lawns and gardens—nearly $30 billion a year. We grow a lot of greens—nearly a third of us grow food in our gardens. And many companies now make outdoor gardening products with recycled plastics—this contributes to sustainability and makes our lawns and gardens a bit greener.</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Greener Landscape Ahead</i></b></div>
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Plastics for years have been replacing other materials in lawn and garden products due to their versatility, durability and low maintenance—plus they resist rotting and shattering, so we can spend more time gardening and less on maintenance, repair, and replacement. And today when we recycle our everyday household plastics, some of them are turned into practical products for our lawns and gardens.</div>
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For example, many companies make composite lumber with recycled HDPE plastic, the type used to make milk jugs and most plastic bags and film. This durable lumber looks pretty much like wood, but the plastic makes it extremely durable and nearly maintenance-free. And boring insects have no interest in plastics. Used to build decks, fences, railings and swimming pool enclosures, lumber made with recycled plastics not only looks great and lasts a long time—it also keeps this valuable material out of landfills.</div>
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Manufacturers also are increasingly using recycled plastics for landscaping products. For example, landscape pavers made with recycled plastics are used to create patios, decks, walkways and other outdoor areas. They can be installed more quickly than traditional pavers, and each 1,000 square feet of pavers saves 500 scrap tires and 15,000 plastic bottles from landfills, according to a manufacturer. They also use 94 percent less energy and release 96 percent less CO2 in manufacturing than concrete alternatives.</div>
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Landscape edging made with recycled polypropylene plastic—the kind often used for yogurt cups and bottle caps—won’t “rot, fade, crack, splinter, or warp,” according to its manufacturer. And trellises made with recycled plastics “maintain color and shape … without weathering, warping, deteriorating, rotting or splintering” … season after season. More gardening—less maintenance.</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Greener Tools and Planters</i></b></div>
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Many essential gardening tools also are made with recycled plastics, including wheelbarrows,compost bins, watering cans, pots, trays, tools, hoses, rain barrels and more. And some companies now use recycled plastics to make planters, stylish outdoor furniture, and other decorative garden accessories. Many of these durable, weather-resistant products are made to stay outdoors year round.</div>
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Where space is tight, planters and hanging pots made with recycled plastics from used beverage bottles can create vertical flower gardens and add some food plants almost anywhere—indoors and out. These planters don’t rust, and they can be reused again and again.</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Contribute to a Greener Garden</i></b></div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </i></b>Like a growing number of everyday plastic products—from plastic bags to shampoo bottles—the plastic pots and trays we use in gardening today can be recycled in many places.</div>
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<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fifty-seven percent of U.S. households have access to a recycling program that accepts garden pots and trays.</li>
<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Some large retailers, such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, accept used plastic pots at their stores, where they either are reused or sent to recycling facilities. Some even come back as new pots.</li>
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Plastics—and more recently recycled plastics—are staking a claim in our lawns and gardens. For good reason. In the often rain soaked, sun scorched, insect ridden environment of our lawns and gardens, plastics make it possible to spend more time enjoying the fruits of our labor—often while contributing to sustainability.</div>
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Recycled Plastics in the Garden—It’s All About The “Green”

Recycled Plastics in the Garden—It’s All About The “Green” Our lawns and gardens seem to be all about the “green” … We spend a lot ...

Tips to Recycle More of the Plastics You Use

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Tips to Recycle More of the Plastics You Use</h1>
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<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bottles in the Bin</strong> – Bin programs widely accept milk jugs, beverage bottles and even bottles from salad dressing, cooking oil and condiments; food jars from peanut butter and mayonnaise; bottles from shampoo, laundry detergent and household cleaners. Tip: place caps on bottles before tossing in the bin.</li>
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<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bring Your Bags</strong> – Recycle plastic bags at many major grocery and retail chains. You can include your grocery and retail bags, newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, sandwich bags (with or without seal), and wraps from bread, bathroom tissue, paper towels, beverage cases, diapers and baby wipes.</li>
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<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Containers, Cups and Lids</strong> – Many communities recycle plastic containers as well as bottles. Check your community’s website or with your local grocer to see if they collect yogurt cups, butter tubs, deli containers, lids and other plastics.</li>
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Tips to Recycle More of the Plastics You Use

Tips to Recycle More of the Plastics You Use Bottles in the Bin – Bin programs widely accept milk jugs, beverage bottles and even bo...

Plastics: Your Gateway to a Beautiful Home and Garden

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Plastics: Your Gateway to a Beautiful Home and Garden</h1>
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Tips to Recycle More of the Plastics You Use</div>
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<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bottles in the Bin – in addition to milk jugs and beverage bottles, remember to recycle plastic bottles from salad dressing and oil; food jars from peanut butter and mayonnaise; and bottles from shampoos, laundry detergents, and household cleaners. And don’t forget non-pesticide spray bottles used in your garden.</li>
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<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bag It! – You can recycle plastic bags at many major grocery store chains. Remember to include your grocery and retail bags, newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, and wraps from bread, bathroom tissue, paper towels, beverage cases, clean plastic garden sheeting, diapers, baby wipes and more.</li>
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<li style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Containers, Cups and Lids – More and more communities are recycling plastic containers in addition to bottles. Check your community’s website or your local grocer to see if they collect yogurt cups, butter tubs, deli containers, lids, flower pots and other plastics.</li>
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Plastics: Your Gateway to a Beautiful Home and Garden

Plastics: Your Gateway to a Beautiful Home and Garden Tips to Recycle More of the Plastics You Use Bottles in the Bin – in addition...

When It Comes To Recycling, Women Talk More Trash

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When It Comes To Recycling, Women Talk More Trash</h1>
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To encourage consumers to recycle more, Plastics Make it PossibleSM provides the following tips for reusing and recycling everyday plastics.</div>
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1. Find out which plastics are accepted for recycling in your community and where they can be taken. Though recycling options vary, most community curbside programs collect plastic bottles and many grocery and retail chains now offer bins to collect used plastic bags and wraps for recycling. An increasing number of communities are also collecting rigid containers like yogurt and butter tubs.</div>
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2. Know what to recycle with your bottles. A “bottle” is any container with a neck or opening that’s smaller than its base and includes milk jugs; beverage containers; bottles</div>
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from salad dressing, oil and other condiments; food jars for items like peanut butter and mayonnaise; and bottles from shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent and household cleaners.</div>
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3. Know what to recycle with your bags at grocery stores. When you recycle your bags, include all plastic bags from grocery, retail and dry cleaning stores, plastic bags that cover newspapers, and product wraps from paper towels, napkins, bathroom tissue and diapers.</div>
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4. Clean and empty. Before tossing them in the recycle bin, make sure bottles are appropriately rinsed and that caps are removed.</div>
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5. Bring bottles back to the bin. When bottles are emptied away from home, store them in a backpack or briefcase, or simply leave them in the car until arriving home to place in a recycle bin.</div>
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6. Store bags in a bag. Storing plastic bags and wraps in a plastic bag offers neat, convenient storage. Simply knot the handles when you’re ready to drop them off at your local grocer or retailer.</div>
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7. Reuse those bags! From trash can liners to pet pick-up, plastic bags can be used dozens of ways.</div>
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8. Pitch in beyond the kitchen. While many recyclable bottles and bags come from the kitchen, don’t forget to check the bathrooms and laundry room for shampoo and detergent bottles and reuse your plastic bags as trash can liners throughout the house.</div>
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9. When in doubt, leave it out. Be careful not to contaminate your recyclables with garbage or items that aren’t recycled in your area.</div>
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10. Bridge the second generation gap. It’s important to remember that recycled plastics go on to become second generation products like carpet, fleece jackets and new bottles and bags.</div>
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When It Comes To Recycling, Women Talk More Trash

When It Comes To Recycling, Women Talk More Trash To encourage consumers to recycle more, Plastics Make it PossibleSM provides the fo...

Tips to Get Your Kids Recycling!

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Tips to Get Your Kids Recycling!</h1>
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Recycling is easy – and a fun family project any day of the year. Here are a few simple steps your family can take together to maximize what gets recycled in your home.</div>
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1. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get smart.</strong> It takes just a few clicks of the computer mouse to find out which recyclables are accepted in your area and where they can be taken. Today, more than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a recycling program, and the majority of them collect a variety of recyclables, including many plastics.<br />
2. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Post the list.</strong> Keep the list of recyclables in a highly visible area, such as on the refrigerator or attached to your recycling bin.<br />
3. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Check the neck. </strong>Virtually all communities collect plastic bottles. A bottle is any container with a neck that’s smaller than its base. This includes everything from beverage bottles to milk jugs to jars for peanut butter, mayonnaise, cooking oil and salad dressing. Make it a game by asking kids to identify bottles and other recyclables as you shop and unpack your groceries.<br />
4. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bring bags back. </strong>Many large grocers and retailers collect used plastic bags and product wraps for recycling. Make sure kids know that this category includes shopping bags, newspaper bags and wraps from bread, bathroom tissue, diapers and cases of beverages. Kids can help you collect items in a plastic bag and deposit on return trips to the store.<br />
5. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Think outside the kitchen.</strong> Ask kids to look for items that can be recycled from areas outside the kitchen, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms and storage areas (be sure to give instructions that cleaning products and bottles in the garage are not to be touched).<br />
6. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Set targets.</strong> Set tangible goals for your kids to reach each week. For example, you can aim to throw out one less bag of trash per week.<br />
7. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Keep a sticker chart.</strong> This works particularly well with younger children. Every time your child remembers to recycle, add a sticker to his or her chart. When enough stickers are collected, award a favorite toy or treat.<br />
8. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Let kids keep the change.</strong> If you take your recyclables to a recycling facility, let your kids pocket any profits you receive. The more plastic bottles they collect, the more money they will receive – a great incentive!<br />
9. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Stay with the program.</strong> If you notice that your child is repeatedly forgetting to recycle, continue to remind him or her how all recyclables – especially plastics – are too valuable to waste and should be reused and recycled. And remind them that by recycling those plastic water bottles, they are giving them a “second life” to make things like lumber and decking for homes, car bumpers, fleece jackets, even their next favorite t-shirt!<br />
10. <strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Set a good example. </strong>Make sure you are following the recycling rules as well! Your kids will learn by watching you recycle.</div>
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Tips to Get Your Kids Recycling!

Tips to Get Your Kids Recycling! Recycling is easy – and a fun family project any day of the year. Here are a few simple steps your f...

What’s your recycling personality?

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What’s your recycling personality?</h1>
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How much do you know about recycling?</div>
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Recycling plastic bottles and bags is one thing that everyone can do to help make a difference. Every plastic bottle and bag that you recycle can live a “second life” as another product such as carpeting, tote bags, furniture or even a stylish T-shirt.</div>
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What’s your recycling personality?

What’s your recycling personality? How much do you know about recycling? Recycling plastic bottles and bags is one thing that every...

From Plastic Bottle to Eco-fashion

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From Plastic Bottle to Eco-fashion</h1>
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<span style="background-color: #e8edeb; color: #2d5955; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">You may know that some car parts, kitchen tools, furniture, and other products are now made with recycled plastics. But did you know that new recycling technologies allow used plastics to be turned into soft, versatile fabric for clothing? So today’s plastic water and soft drink bottles can become tomorrow’s little black dress!</span></div>
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From Plastic Bottle to Eco-fashion

From Plastic Bottle to Eco-fashion You may know that some car parts, kitchen tools, furniture, and other products are now made with re...

The Recycling Journey of the Plastic Beverage Bottle

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The Recycling Journey of the Plastic Beverage Bottle</h1>
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You probably know that recycling a plastic beverage bottle recaptures its value and keeps it out of the local landfill. You may also know that the bottle can live a second life in a container, carpeting, and even clothing.</div>
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But have you ever wondered exactly how the plastic bottle that you toss in the recycling bin becomes a new T-shirt or rug?</div>
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The transformation from beverage bottle to new product begins at a recycling facility that receives large bales of used plastic bottles. The bottles are compressed into bales to reduce transportation costs and energy use – bales can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and contain up to 7,200 bottles. These bottles already have been pre-sorted, so each bale should contain only one type of plastic: polyethylene teraphthalate (PET), the type of plastic most commonly used to make soda, water, juice, sport drink and other beverage bottles.</div>
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At the recycling facility, the bales are torn apart by a machine called a bale breaker. The separated bottles then are run under a magnet that attracts any metal pieces that may have mistakenly come along for the ride. After that, the bottles are run through a washing machine that works just like the home version – only it’s many times larger, of course. The soapy water removes the labels from the bottles as well as dirt and debris.</div>
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The next step: separating the bottles from the bottle caps that typically are made of polypropylene and can be recycled separately. But if you’re imagining hundreds of workers endlessly unscrewing caps from bottles, don’t worry—there’s a much more efficient method. First, the bottles and caps are ground into small flakes that are placed in a large tank of water. Since PET and polypropylene have different densities, the bottle flakes sink in water while the cap flakes float. This makes it possible to separate the two plastics for recycling.</div>
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After the PET flakes head through another wash cycle to remove any leftover dirt, they pass through an extruder. This machine heats up the flakes until they combine and become gooey… and then pushes the plastic through screens to create long, tubular strands of plastic, kind of like that soft clay “spaghetti” press you used as a kid. The strands are cooled and hardened in water, chopped into pellets… and then shipped to companies that make a variety of plastic products, including new bottles.</div>
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If the recycled PET is going to be made into fabric, the pellets will be melted down and pushed through an extruder once again – but this time the strands will be stretched into a very fine, soft thread (fiber). This thread then can be woven into versatile fabrics that you’d never guess were made from recycled plastic bottles.</div>
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The demand for recycled plastics continues to grow, which makes collecting these bottles more and more important. And people have responded – Americans now recycle more than one and a half billion pounds of plastic each year from soda bottles alone!  You can do your part: replace bottle caps after use, recycle at home, hang on to empty bottles until there’s a recycling bin handy, and encourage your friends to do the same.</div>
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The Recycling Journey of the Plastic Beverage Bottle

The Recycling Journey of the Plastic Beverage Bottle You probably know that recycling a plastic beverage bottle recaptures its value ...

Two Decades of Progress in Plastics Recycling

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Two Decades of Progress in Plastics Recycling</h1>
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What a difference a few years can make.</div>
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Following the selection of the new Pope in March, a pair of images from Rome made rounds on the Internet: a 2013 photo that captured thousands of people with smart phones and tablets recording the Papal pageantry, coupled with a similar photo from 2005 – with only a single person using a flip phone.</div>
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The juxtaposition of images is a vivid portrayal of rapid changes we’re experiencing. Recall, for example, that iPhones were introduced only 6 years ago!</div>
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While perhaps not as radical a change, recycling of everyday plastics has gone through a similar time warp, according to a slew of recent reports. We need to go back a bit further in time to get a perspective on the progress.</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Growth of Plastics Recycling</b></div>
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Consumer recycling of plastic bottles began in earnest in the 1990s, followed soon by other consumer plastics. Plastics makers expended significant resources and lent technical expertise to communities across the country. The resin identification code, championed by recyclers, was codified into law in many states during that decade. All sorts of pilot programs – some small, some not, some successful, some not – were launched in an aggressive effort to jumpstart plastics recycling.</div>
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Flash forward to 2013. Those blue bins lining the streets on recycling day now are populated with many plastic items, some of which didn’t even exist in the 1990s. Efforts begun decades ago led to a far-reaching, growing recycling infrastructure for a wide variety of consumer plastics.</div>
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So let’s take a look at some of the latest recycling stats from EPA, the American Chemistry Council, the Association of Plastics Recycling and recycling experts, from which the numbers below are derived.</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Plastic Bottle Recycling</b></div>
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Plastic bottles for soft drinks and other beverages were introduced to consumers in the 1970s and quickly became popular – they were lightweight and didn’t shatter when dropped. People could toss one in a purse or gym bag or back seat, and there was less worry about shattering and making a mess. At the same time, a variety of plastic bottles rapidly replaced other containers for many household items, such as laundry detergents and household cleaners, along with food and drink; today most of the bottles in our laundry rooms, refrigerators and pantries are made from plastics. It’s actually difficult to find many of these mainstream consumer products sold in glass anymore – glass shampoo bottles anyone?</div>
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However, the recycling infrastructure took a bit of time to catch up. But catch up it did … Just how widespread is the opportunity to recycle plastic bottles today? A study done in 2011 found that at least 94 percent of the U.S. population is able to recycle plastic bottles (and their caps!) right in their own community. More than 2.6 billion pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in 2011 – a number that has increased every year since 1990 when a bottle survey began. (Variations in methodologies make it difficult to compare 1990 amounts and rates with today. Suffice it say, rates were very low.)</div>
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The EPA estimates that nearly 30 percent of bottles were recycled in 2010, so the opportunity remains to capture even more of these bottles for recycling. (As a comparison, 34 percent of glass bottles were recycled in 2010).</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Rigid” Plastics Recycling</b></div>
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Similar to bottles, plastics have become increasingly popular materials for all sorts of household items and consumer product containers over the last few decades – which generally has contributed to sustainability. The use of plastic containers, for example, has made it possible to provide more food (and ship more products) with less packaging and waste – so we save money and reduce our impact on the environment.</div>
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Recyclers call these items “non-bottle rigid” plastics, a category that includes not only containers but common household items such as laundry baskets, lawn chairs, gardening pots, and all sorts of durable home storage containers.  (Even though bottles are “rigid” plastics, bottle recycling generally is measured separately.)  These products and containers are made from a wide variety of resins: predominately HDPE and polypropylene, along with PET, polystyrene, LDPE, PVC, and others.</div>
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The percentage of the U.S. population in 2012 that has access to recycling of all of these “rigid” plastics? Fifty-seven percent – which rose sharply from 40 percent only one year earlier.</div>
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If we slice these numbers another way, we find that more than 60 percent of U.S. consumers have access to recycle containers made from HDPE and PET – by reaching that threshold, these containers now are considered “recyclable” according to federal marketing guidelines. And access to recycling for containers made from other resins already is above 50 percent – and the trend is toward higher numbers.</div>
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In 2011 at least 934 million pounds of these “rigid” plastics were recycled, up 13 percent from only one year prior.</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Plastic Wrap, Film and Bag Recycling (at Stores)</b></div>
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Plastic dry-cleaning wrap, bread bags, newspaper delivery sleeves, stretch wrap around cases of products in warehouse stores, grocery bags… Thin lightweight plastic film continues to find new protective uses, allowing us to package more food and other products with significantly less material than other options.</div>
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Plastic film recycling requires a different collection approach, though, in part because popular curbside recycling programs often (though not always) proved unsuitable to lightweight film.</div>
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Due to recent and rapid growth in drop-off programs, plastic film recycling is growing at a solid pace. Today there are more than 15,000 locations across the country where consumers can drop off polyethylene bags and wraps for recycling, typically in specially marked bins in front of large grocery and retail chains. (Flash back to the early 1990s – remember any plastic bag collection bins at stores…?) And consumers and businesses are rising to the challenge: in 2011 more than one billion pounds of plastic film were recycled.</div>
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That’s great progress, but there’s still much to do – according to EPA, plastic film was recycled at a nearly 12 percent rate in 2010. Recyclers, plastics makers and retailers are sharing tools and best practices to maximize plastic film recycling.</div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Recycled Plastics</b></div>
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So what happens to the plastics that are collected by consumers and businesses?  Many loop their way right back to us in new packaging and consumer products, such as stylish furniture, outdoor decking, cutting boards, food storage containers, new plastic bags – plus some rather unexpected places.</div>
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For example, Ford uses recycled plastics in the carpeting, seat fabrics, bumpers and other parts in some of its cars. Clothing designers are creating dresses, t-shirts and other apparel using soft, comfortable fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles. And Sony uses more than 17,000 tons of recycled plastics annually in televisions, video cameras, personal computers and other electronics.</div>
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Recycled plastics in cars, clothing and computers… Who would have imagined? Let’s see what the next two decades will bring.</div>
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Two Decades of Progress in Plastics Recycling

Two Decades of Progress in Plastics Recycling What a difference a few years can make. Following the selection of the new Pope in Ma...

Celebrate Earth Day – Recycle!

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Celebrate Earth Day – Recycle!</h1>
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April 22 is Earth Day – the perfect time to think about how we can make a difference to help our Mother Earth.</div>
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Recycling plastic bottles and bags is one thing that everyone can do to help make a difference, not just because it keeps valuable materials out of landfills, but because the plastic bottles and bags you recycle can live “second lives” as other products such as carpeting, a tote bag, furniture or even a stylish T-shirt. In fact, 81 percent of Americans say they want to buy and/or wear clothing made from recycled materials!</div>
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So how do you “close the recycling loop”? Leave a comment below letting us know about the cool recycled content products you use every day or share your tips for recycling more plastics this Earth Day.</div>
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Celebrate Earth Day – Recycle!

Celebrate Earth Day – Recycle! April 22 is Earth Day – the perfect time to think about how we can make a difference to help our Mothe...

Plastic Innovations