8 facts on recycling plastics that highlights its importance

The amount of plastic waste generated across the world is at astonishingly high levels. In 2014, the UK alone produced around 4.9 million tonnes of it. Here at Plasloc, we’ve always been conscious of reducing our environmental impact and have taken a variety of measures with this in mind. This includes recycling plastics and other steps to reduce our plastic wastage.

But why is this so important? We’ve compiled a list of 8 facts to show you exactly why:

1. It can take up to 1,000 years for plastic to degrade in a landfill

Yes, apparently it can take as many as 1,000 years for plastic to degrade in a landfill. Recycling it, however, means you don’t have to wait anytime at all for it to degrade, let alone a thousand years!

2. Only 45% of plastic bottles in the UK are recycled

When you consider that we use 7.7 billion plastic bottles per year, this figure is actually quite shocking. Plus, plastic drinking bottles can be recycled to create a huge number of items from duvet fillings and clothing to DVD cases and park benches.

3. The amount of plastic thrown away each year is enough to circle the Earth four times!

That really is an extraordinary amount of plastic that will just be sitting around, waiting to decompose for 1,000 years or so.

4. Recycling one ton of plastic saves roughly 23 cubic metres of space in a landfill

With landfill sites filling up around the world, the more waste we can keep out of them the better. Plus, recycling one ton of plastic also saves 3,114 litres of oil and 20,786 megajoules of electricity. So, it saves a huge amount of energy too.

5. Recycling 1 tonne of plastic bottles saves 1.5 tonnes of carbon

The excessive amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is one of the biggest causes of climate change. Therefore, it’s important to reduce CO2 levels where possible.

6. Producing plastic from raw materials requires 88% more energy than recycling plastics

The end result when recycling plastic and producing it from raw materials is virtually the same for many applications, so why shouldn’t we use the more efficient method of the two?

7. There are over 8 million tonnes of it in our oceans

Our oceans are some of the biggest victims of our failure to recycle plastic. The huge amount of plastic in our oceans is also very detrimental to aquatic wildlife.

Here at Plasloc, we donate to Just One Ocean, a UK charity set up to preserve the world’s oceans, to help with their work.

8. Recycling creates 6 times more jobs than landfilling and 36 times more than incinerating

Not only is having more work available better for a country’s inhabitants but more people in work has a positive knock-on effect to the economy.

Eco-friendly internal and external hoarding solutions from Plasloc

Do you require a durable, environmentally friendly hoarding solution for a construction project? Plasloc’s internal and external hoarding solutions are constructed from 100% post-consumer or post-industrial recycled PVC-U. For more information or a free quote, call 01626 356 995 or contact us online.

Written by Angela Murray

Finance & Digital Communications Manager, Plasloc

Angela brings over a decade of finance and administration experience to her role at Plasloc, where she manages digital communications alongside her financial responsibilities. Currently studying Creative Writing at Falmouth University, she combines a sharp eye for structure with a genuine passion for storytelling and connecting with audiences through content.

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