This document discusses the benefits of recycling plastic and the environmental impacts of plastic waste. It notes that while plastic has replaced many traditional materials in everyday products, the United States only recycles around 27% of plastics today. Failing to recycle plastic properly has serious environmental effects, as plastic waste kills over one million sea creatures each year and has formed garbage patches in oceans larger than the size of Texas. Recycling plastic saves energy and reduces environmental damage.
2. WHAT IS PLASTIC?
A synthetic material
Made from organic polymers
PVC, nylon, etc.
Molded into shape while soft
Set into final solid form
3. WHAT WE USE PLASTIC FOR
Has replaced many traditional materials:
wood, stone
leather, paper
metal, glass
ceramics
4. WHY RECYCLE PLASTIC?
So much of it around
Incredible number of everyday products
Containers, trash/grocery bags etc.
New needs arise every day
Huge waste pile in ocean
5. PLASTICS IN THE US
2.5M bottles used every hour
25B Styrofoam cups every year
Recycling saves energy
Costs more to burn
Only ~27% plastics recycled today
6. BENEFITS OF RECYCLING
PLASTIC
Trash can be recycled into:
Clothing, fiberfill
Toys, stuffed animals
Office equipment
More plastic products
7. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF
PLASTIC WASTE
Kills ~1M sea creatures/year
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
Twice the size of Texas!
Floating between San Francisco/ Hawaii
80% plastic - weighs ~3.5M tons
9. FACTS
Shielded from sunlight in landfills
Will not decompose quickly
Takes thousands of years
Recycling one ton of plastic
Saves ~2 thousand gallons gasoline
10. PLASTIC CYCLE OF LIFE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw
