Plastic Innovations: Reuse

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...

Plastic Bottles Shed Light on Needy Families

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Plastic Bottles Shed Light on Needy Families</h1>
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n the impoverished neighborhoods in and around Manila, Philippines, millions of people live in darkness in their homes—even in the daytime. Electricity is often too expensive, and windows are a building expense that many cannot afford.</div>
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To change this, a local social entrepreneur has created a program called<br />
A Liter of Light that illuminates the homes of underprivileged families by creating solar-powered light bulbs from a resource some may find surprising: used plastic soft drink bottles.</div>
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Volunteers for A Liter of Light begin by gathering discarded, clear plastic bottles. The volunteers then fill each bottle with water and a few drops of chlorine bleach (to retard algae growth). They then fit the bottle snugly into a custom-cut hole in the roof of a home, with the bottom of the bottle extending down into the room below. This allows the clear plastic bottle and water to refract the sun’s rays and scatter light into the house. A silicone plastic sealant applied to the roof and bottle prevents water leaks during rainy tropical weather.</div>
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On a sunny day, this simple device can produce approximately 50 watts of light in an otherwise dark room.</div>
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Because plastics are lightweight and durable, the bottle lights are easy to install and are expected to last more than five years. And the materials to produce the lights cost very little—or nothing, in the case of discarded bottles gathered by volunteers—which makes it possible for A Liter of Light to help many, many people. The program envisions installing plastic bottle lights in one million homes by the end of 2012.</div>
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In an area in which some households earn less than a dollar a day, the plastic bottle lights reduce household expenses, as well as the fire hazards associated with faulty electrical wiring and candles. And when the lights need to be replaced, the plastic bottles can be recycled and new solar lights can be installed for little or no cost.</div>
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People often find creative ways to reuse plastic products. These new uses can be practical (such as reusing a plastic grocery bag as a trash can liner), or they can be fun (like making a Halloween costume out of plastic bottles). And sometimes, they can help improve people’s lives by creating a solution to a big problem—in this case, “a sustainable lighting project which aims to bring the eco-friendly bottle bulb to low-income communities nationwide.”</div>
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Plastic Bottles Shed Light on Needy Families

Plastic Bottles Shed Light on Needy Families n the impoverished neighborhoods in and around Manila, Philippines, millions of people l...

Plastic Innovations

Recycling plastics: a win-win scenario for automakers

What Does That Chasing Arrow Symbol on Plastics Mean?

Plastic Bottles Shed Light on Needy Families

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