plastic recycling - logan.qld.gov.au · when recycling plastics, look for the plastics...
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www.logan.qld.gov.auPlastic is the name given to a wide range of compounds made from the resources of oil and gas. Oil and gas are formed over many millions of years from rotting organic matter covered in layers of mud being heated and compressed and are therefore non-renewable.
Manufacturing Oil, coal and natural gas are combined under special conditions of temperature and pressure to create plastic polymers. Various chemicals can be added, dependent on the type of plastic being created, to give it various properties. Once the plastic is created it is transformed into resin pellets or a powder form.
The resin or powder is transported to the manufacturer to be moulded and shaped into its final form. To do this, the pellets or powder are heated and melted down, depending on the type of plastic used and the type of product being made. The plastic is then moulded, using one of three different processes:
1. Injection moulding: used for specifically shaped objects like cups, toys and plumbing fittings.
2. Extrusion moulding: makes plastic sheets, pipe or tube.
At the reprocessing plant the plastics are shredded, chopped or ground into small pieces and washed. Dur ing the wash ing process, the various types of shredded plastic will separate according to their densities. This enables further sorting into specific plastic types before the plastics are melted into resin. The resin is stretched into strands and cut into beads or ground into powder.
The beads or powder are then melted and moulded back into a recycled product. Refer to the Plastic Identification Chart on this fact sheet to find out what recycled products are made from the various types of plastic.
Decomposition Plastic is very long lasting, and this can cause environmental problems. It can take more than 600 years for plastic products to decompose.
General plastic recycling – beyond the recycling binPlastic containers placed in the yellow lidded recycling bin are transported to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting. Here they are removed from the other recyclable materials by hand and sorted into plastic types. Once sorted, the containers are crushed into bales and transported to companies for reprocessing.
3. Blow moulding: for bottles and drums
There are about 40 different plastics used today. Each has a different chemical composition, a different strength and durability and is suitable for different uses. Most plastic products and packaging today are stamped with a Plastic Identification Code, a triangle containing a number, at the manufacturing stage, to assist in identifying the different types of plastics we use.
Baled Plastic
Hand Sorting
Plastic Flake
New Products
Plastic Recycling
www.logan.qld.gov.au
Plastic Identification Code Name of plastic Characteristics Uses in a new form Uses for recycled plastics
1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Clear, tough, often used as a fibre
Soft drink bottles, sleeping bag filling
Soft drink bottles, clear film for packaging
2 High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Hard to semi flexible, usually white or coloured
Crinkly shopping bags, milk bottles
Compost bins, bleach bottles
3 Unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride (UPVC) Plasticised Polyvinyl Chloride (PPVC)
Hard to rigid, can be clear Flexible, clear elastic plastic
Cordial & juice bottles Shoe soles, garden hose
Pipes for plumbing hoses
4 Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Soft and flexible, waxy surface
Ice cream lids, garbage bags
Food & freezer bags
5 Polypropylene (PP) Hard but flexible – has many uses
Ice cream containers, crisp bags
Compost bins, worm farms
6 Polystyrene (PS) Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
Rigid and brittle, clear or glassy looking Light weight and foam-like
Yoghurt pots, plastic cutlery Hot drink cups, take away containers
Clothes pegs, hangers
What can be recycled at the kerbside?
In Logan City we can safely recycle all rigid plastic household containers from the kitchen, bathroom and laundry that are labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6. The following are examples that can be recycled through our kerbside recycling system:
soft drink bottles
milk bottles
detergent bottles
shampoo bottles
yoghurt pots
margarine containers
ice cream containers.
What cannot be recycled at the kerbside?
The following items are NOT recyclable:
plastic bags
plastic toys
cling wrap
polystyrene trays
large plastic items such as chairs and tables.
These items can cause contamination or damage to the machinery in the recycling process.
Plastic recycling tips
Remove all lids
Rinse and squash bottles
Plastics de-codingThe coding system does an excellent job of identifying the different types of plastic to both the general public and plastic recyclers. When recycling plastics, look for the Plastics Identification Code only.
The table below outlines the codes of each of the different plastic types, their characteristics, uses and recycled uses.
1
2
3
4
5
6
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Plastic Recycling