Why Is Plastics Recycling Important For The Environment? and for the Economy?
Recycling plastics can, in many cases, significantly reduce the consumption of resources and emissions to the environment.
Plastics recycling can conserve energy and non-renewable resources as recycling replaces the need for primary extraction and manufacture of new plastics.
Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W lightbulb for up to 6 hours. This assessment takes into account all the significant resources required from the point of collecting the plastic bottle in a bottle bank to the production of a recycled pellet capable of being used in place of virgin plastic.
Plastics recycling also reduces the reliance on traditional, and potentially less environmental beneficial, landfill waste disposal.
The environmental impacts and benefits of recycling plastic products vary significantly depending on the type of product and its condition at end of life.
Relatively large, clear supplies of plastic products (e.g. crates, bottles, and commercial packaging film) can normally be recycled with a positive environmental gain.
International policy development now places increasing emphasis on the issue of waste in the wider context of product life cycles and resource efficiency.
Preseron and its members are committed to increasing levels of plastics recycling. At the same time we understand that a pragmatic approach to recycling is important. We should be aiming to use available resources as efficiently as possible. .
Recycling plastic bottles, when carried out using efficient technology results in direct and indirect economic benefits.
Plastic bottle recycling can create economic development, generating new employment in more efficient, sustainable industries. There will be employment creation for the increased services for both collection and sorting facilities. Development of an effective, efficient plastics recycling industry within Ghana will help to create a sustainable society and support the economy on a long-term basis.
Recycling can provide an efficient alternative to traditional disposal of materials to landfill. Collection and disposal of plastic bottles currently costs Ghanaian local councils millions of cedis every year. The plastic wastes being landfilled are a valuable resource - if sold they would generate over millions in revenue. Landfill is the inefficient option - there is market capacity and demand for collected and sorted plastic bottles and materials, together with proven collection and handling technology.
Collecting plastic waste for recycling also increases overall material yields, satisfies public demand for comprehensive service provision and has the potential to maximise landfill diversion across Ghanaian local authorities.
By changing their approach to waste management, councils and businesses alike have the opportunity to maximise material recovery and reduce waste management costs.
More detailed technical information on energy consumption, emissions and environmental comparisons of waste management techniques, will be provided through further links.
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