We didn't plan to talk about it, but since you asked...

Transcription

1 We didn't plan to talk about it, but since you asked... Here s some info re recycle of plastics vs. landfills Are the benefits of recycling plastics outweighed by the pollution that results from recycling plastic? How much energy is conserved through recycling? CEE 3510 Environmental Quality Engineering

2 How well do you know your plastics? PET (polyethylene terephthalate) commonly used in soft drink bottles. HDPE (high-density polyethylene) used in milk and water jugs, detergent bottles and the base cups of soft drink containers. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) commonly used in durable construction products such as pipes and siding. LDPE (low-density polyethylene) used in plastic film items such as grocery bags. PP (polypropylene) common in durable items, fibers and diaper liners. PS (polystyrene) familiar in foamed form ("Styrofoam" is a particular brand name) as fast-food packaging, hot cups and meat trays; also used in rigid and semi-rigid containers.

3 Plastic container code system. CODE 1 MATERIAL PERCENT OF TOTAL VOLUME Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) percent High Density Polyethylene Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Low Density Polyethylene Polypropylene Polystyrene All other resins percent 5-10 percent 5-10 percent 5-10 percent 5-10 percent 5-10 percent Polyethylene (high density and low density) accounts for the largest volume, with 10.4 billion pounds of U.S. sales. Polypropylene contributed another 8 billion pounds and polyvinyl chloride (including copolymers) 7.7 billion pounds. Polyester (thermoplastic and unsaturated, no textiles) accounted for 2.9 billion pounds (6 percent) of U.S. sales. These billions of pounds of thermoplastics offer the opportunity to recycle. The nature of a thermoplastic is such that it can be re-melted or extruded into remanufactured products.

4 How much will recycling of plastics reduce landfills? As of 2011, 12.7% of solid waste (by weight) in a landfill is plastic. More importantly, by volume about 20% of solid waste is plastic. Almost 8.3% of the mass of plastics generated was recycled in billion pounds of post-consumer plastic bottles were recycled during 2012, accounting for 30.5 percent (by weight) of all plastic bottles produced in the United States.

5 Plastic by the numbers 63 Pounds of plastic packaging, per person end up in landfills in the US every year. 6.8 Percent total plastics recovered for recycling Not all types of plastics are accepted by community recycling programs Plastic bags are typically not accepted in recycling programs 7.7 Percent total plastics combusted in waste-to-energy facilities. 300 Million metric tons global plastic production in Percent of individuals 6 years and older whose urine contained detectable bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in the manufacture of some plastics (2007 CDC study ) 450 Years (estimated), for a plastic bottle to degrade completely in a marine environment.

6 We found a comprehensive study by the Tellus Institute in Boston. The study assessed the impacts of production and disposal of packaging (including plastics). It was prepared for the Council of State Governments and the N.J. Dept. of Environmental Protection and Energy.

7 Which produces more pollution; production of plastics from raw materials or recycling? The next slide gives statistics for 4 sizes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) soft drink bottles (one of the major current plastic products). values are given as lbs of EPA pollutants / 1000 gallons

8 Size air emissions water emissions solid wastes solid wastes (lb./1000 gal.) (lb./1000 gal.) (lb./1000 gal.) (cubic feet) from Virgin material 16 oz L L L from Recycled material 16 oz L L L For PET, gross pollution is slightly lower with recycling than with land-filling. The main reason that the values are so close is that a lot of the pollution for recycling comes from trucks that collect and transport the plastic.

9 Energy use The energy used in the production of plastics from raw materials is much higher than required to melt plastic for recycling. Plastic production energy (from raw materials) (BTU / lb.) LDPE 38,500 HDPE 36,500 PS 34,300 PET 48,700 PVC 25,600 To compare: it takes 1000 to 2000 BTU / lb. to melt plastics for recycling. (In addition there would be energy costs for granulation, drying, pelletizing, separation, resin extrusion, etc.)

10 Sayonara, Polystyrene From Seattle to San Clememnte, CA, scores of cites on the West Coast have banned the use of polystryene foam coffee cups and hinged carry out containers within their boundaries. Why? Polystyrene doesn t biodegrade and often ends up as litter in waterways, contributes to ocean pollution, and is difficult to recycle if contaminated with food. New York City has adopted a law that will ban polystyrene by July Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C. are considering one.

11 This is a beach in Santa Monica, CA near a storm drain after rainstorms.

12 The future of plastic?? Bio-based plastic bottles? Coca Cola is building an ethanol based etheylene glycol plant in Brazil. The ethanol comes from sugarcane and sugarcane-processing waste. The ethylene glycol will be used to make the Plant Bottle a polyethylene terephthate (PET) bottle that is 30% biomass derived. In March, 2013 PepsiCo revealed it had created the world s first 100% bio-based PET drink bottle made from switchgrass, pine bark and corn husks.

13 Plastic pollution at another scale: microbeads Many personal care products sold in around the world contain micro-plastic particles employed as exfoliants. They go down the drain, pass through wastewater treatment plants and are showing up in natural water bodies.

14 Up to 1.1 million plastic particles per square kilometer were found in Lake Ontario. Microbeads are about the same size as fish eggs and can be mistaken by aquatic organisms as food. Therefore, they are entering the food web. Plastic particles recovered from Lake Erie Illinois has just passed legislation that requires microbeads to be phased out by New York s state Assembly unanimously passed a similar bill that would ban microbeads in 2016; it is awaiting approval from the state senate.

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