TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (KYAUKSE)

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

PLASTIC RECYCLE SYESTEM

BY

MG TIN HTUT OO

VIC-9

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

CE-61018

TERM PAPER

FEBRUARY, 2020

KYAUKSE
 PLASTIC RECYCLE SYSTEM

ABSTRACT
This study aims for recycling of plastic waste and provides a general overview of the
main issues associated with plastic disposal. Plastics are relatively new materials developed
in the last century. Their applications have grown very fast. As a result, many environmental
issues have grown such as the products finite sources, end of life treatment, and the energy
consumption and emission of gases. The percentage of materials that are recycled is relatively
low. This paper covers the challenges facing the plastic recycling, the role that different
society’s groups could play to address that issue, and the proposal that could share in
reducing impact of plastics uses.
 INTRODUCTION
Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic
materials used in a huge, and growing, range of applications. It is making the lives changing
and more convenient: cleaner, easier, safer and more enjoyable. Plastics are widely use in
packing, building and construction, electrical and electronic, automobile and other use of it.
Anyway, the most common plastic materials encountered are those for packaging and
wrapping. The demand of plastic is increase every year according to the worldwide average
growth rate of 5-6%.

Historically recycling in the plastic industry was carried out within manufacturing
companies as part of the standard production process. In extrusion for instance, often where
material and contamination constraints allowed, in-house scrap would be reprocessed with
virgin material, to improve final material production yields. Plastic waste both commercial
and post consumer going to landfill.

Therefore, it is only relatively late in the development of the plastic industry that
focus and public perception has shifted towards the problems of plastic waste. This has been
driven by two factors; a growing concern about the costs, both financial and environmentally
of land filling, and the sheer amount of plastic waste finding its way into that waste stream.

This overview will provide a general introduction to the issues affecting plastics
recycling materials from end of life to disposal and overview the main methods in landfill
avoidance associated with plastic waste.

Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing

the material into useful products. Since the majority of plastic is non-
biodegradable, recycling is a part of global efforts to reduce plastic in the waste stream,
especially the approximately 8 million metric tonnes of waste plastic that enters the Earth's
ocean every year.
Compared with lucrative recycling of metal, and similar to the low value of glass
recycling, plastic polymers recycling is often more challenging because of low density and
low value. There are also numerous technical hurdles to overcome when recycling
plastic. Materials recovery facilities are responsible for sorting and processing plastics, but
have struggled to do so economically as of 2019.
When different types of plastics are melted together, they tend to phase-separate, like
oil and water, and set in these layers. The phase boundaries cause structural weakness in the
resulting material, meaning that polymer blends are useful in only limited applications. The
two most widely manufactured plastics, polypropylene and polyethylene, behave this way,
which limits their utility for recycling. Each time plastic is recycled, additional virgin
materials must be added to help improve the integrity of the material. So, even recycled
plastic has new plastic material added in. The same piece of plastic can only be recycled
about 2–3 times before its quality decreases to the point where it can no longer be used.
Recently, the use of block copolymers as "molecular stitches" or "macromolecular
welding flux" has been proposed to overcome the difficulties associated with phase

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separation during recycling. Certain bioplastics, such as PLA, recycled using by breaking
down plastic polymers into their chemical building blocks, can be recycled hundreds of
times.
The use of biodegradable plastics or plastics which can be organically recycled or can
be composted in industrial composting is increasing for certain short-lived packaging
applications.
The percentage of plastic that can be fully recycled, rather than downcycled or go to
waste, can be increased when manufacturers of packaged goods minimize mixing of
packaging materials and eliminate contaminants. The Association of Plastics Recyclers has
issued a "Design Guide for Recyclability".

What Plastics Are Recyclable?

There are six common types of plastics. Following are some typical products you will find for
each of plastic:

PS (Polystyrene) – Example: foam hot drink cups, plastic cutlery, containers, and yogurt.

PP (Polypropylene) – Example: lunch boxes, take-out food containers, ice cream containers.

LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) – Example: garbage bins and bags.

PVC (Plasticised Polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride)—Example: cordial, juice or

squeeze bottles.

HDPE (High-density polyethylene) – Example: shampoo containers or milk bottles.

PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) – Example: fruit juice and soft drink bottles.

Currently, only PET, HDPE, and PVC plastic products are recycled under curbside recycling
programs. PS, PP, and LDPE typically are not recycled because these plastic materials get
stuck in the sorting equipment in recycling facilities causing it to break or stop. Lids and
bottle tops cannot be recycled as well. “To recycle or Not to Recycle” is a big question when
it comes to plastic recycling. Some plastic types are not recycled because they are not
economically feasible to do so.

So, how is plastic recycled, anyway?

Quick Navigation for How Is Plastic Recycled

RECYCLING PROCESS

1. Collection

2. Sorting

3. Washing

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4. Resizing

5. Identification and separation

6. Compounding

EXTRAS

Example: Recycling of a plastic bottle

How to recycle plastic?

What plastics can be recycled?

How much plastic is recycled?

Products made from recycled plastic

Plastic recycling process

Plastic recycling is broken up into a few distinct steps. Generally these steps remain the
same for most types of recycling facilities, but certain steps can be combined or omitted in
some situations.

Step 1: Collection

The first step in the recycling process is always collecting the plastic material that
is to be recycled.

This step is completely reliant upon businesses, restaurants, and the public to
dispose of their plastic waste in the correct place. If plastic waste is disposed of in normal
trash bins, it will not  be recycled, so it is extremely important to separate common waste
and plastic waste.

Additionally, it is ideal for governments to have a recycling collection system that

goes to people’s houses or businesses to collect the plastic waste. If this is not possible,
local collection points for plastic should be easy for the public to access. Making it easy
and convenient for people to correctly dispose of plastic waste is paramount in promoting
recycling.

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Step 2: Sorting

After plastics are collected and transported to a recycling facility, the next step is
sorting.

Machines sort plastics into different areas based upon a multitude of properties that
are often dependent upon the recycling facility or what final product is being produced.

Plastics are usually sorted in a few common ways, such as the type of plastic
(material it is made with), color of the plastic, or even how it was made. This is important
because different types of plastics must be processed in different ways and some recycling
facilities are only capable of recycling one type of plastic. If the wrong type of plastic is
processed at the incorrect facility it can reduce the efficiency of the whole process and
require the entire batch to be sent back again for resorting.

Step 3: Washing

Just like with clothes, fruits/vegetables, and many other things, plastics must be
washed before they are further processed. The goal of this step is to remove impurities and
everything that is not made from plastic.

Most containers and packages have labels, adhesive, or even food residue that must
be removed. This non-plastic waste cannot be recycled and can cause the final product to
have poor structural integrity.

Step 4: Resizing

Resizing consists of shredding or granulating the plastic waste into small particles.
This increases the surface area of the plastic, making it easier to process, reshape, and
transport if needed.

Additionally, it gives recycling facilities one last opportunity to remove any non-
plastic waste that has made it through the first 3 steps of processing. This is often done
with metal detectors or magnets that will help remove any leftover metal in the mixture.

Step 5: Identification and separation of plastics

The identification and separation of plastics is when the now small plastic particles
are tested to determine their quality and class.

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The first quality tested is  density. This is done by floating the particles in a large tank of
water. Particles less dense than water will float and more dense particles will sink.

Next their air classification is determined. Air classification is an official term for

how thick or thin a particle is. This is done by dropping the particles into a small wind
tunnel. The smaller pieces will fly higher up the tunnel and bigger ones will remain lower.

Two other features plastics are commonly tested for are their melting
point and color. These are determined by collecting and analyzing samples from each
batch of plastic particles.

Step 6: Compounding

The final step in the recycling process is often considered the most exciting
because it is when the plastic particles are made into recycled materials usable for future
production. Compounding is when the small particles are smashed and melted together
into plastic pellets. The pellets can then be used in the production of other plastic products.

Throughout this process the plastic may be moved to different plants that specialize
in different steps of the process. It can be energy intensive and the better educated we are
about the process the more we can reduce the time and energy it requires.

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 Plastic Recycling machine

Example: Recycling of a plastic bottle

Let’s say that you have just finished drinking water from a commercial disposable
(but recyclable!) water bottle. As you place your empty water bottle into your home
recycling bin as you always do, you wonder, “What will actually happen to this water
bottle after I’m finished with it?”

In order for your plastic water bottle to get from your recycling bin and made into new
products, it goes on a long journey!

o First, your bottle must be collected by a recycling facility. This can happen
when recycling collection drivers pick up your plastic recycling bin on your curb in
front of your house, or when you bring your recyclable waste to a local recycling
facility.

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o Next, if your local recycling company has implemented a Single Stream
Recycling System , by which all materials are collected together, these materials must
undergo a sorting process  to separate different materials, such as glass, paper, or
metals. Most often, the majority of this sorting process is done automatically by
machines, but it may also include one manual sort to eliminate as much contamination
of the materials as possible.
o Since there are numerous types of plastics in use today , all of the plastic
materials in a recycling facility must be separated by type. Your plastic water bottle
will likely be grouped with the other plastic materials made with #1 polyethylene
terephthalate (PET or PETE) plastic.Unfortunately, certain types of plastics are not as
easily recycled as other types of plastics. Many recycling facilities do not have
equipment that can handle every type of plastic, and so these items may be sold to
another facility that can recycle them or they may end up in a landfill. Ask your plastic
recycling company about what they do with items they cannot process.
o Next, your plastic water bottle will go to an area of the recycling facility
where it will be ground up into chips or flakes, and the plastic will then be washed to
get rid of any labels or remaining residue.
o The plastic is dried, melted, and formed into pellets, which can be used for
manufacturing new products.
o Recycled plastic pellets can then be sold to companies and used to make
different products. Some products made from recycled plastic bottles include artificial
fleece, engineered wood products, carpeting, floor mats, tiles, furniture, motor oil,
detergent bottles, pipes and pails.

Your water bottle will now be given a new life as something else! Plastic bottle recycling
is then definitely worth your effort.

How to recycle plastic?

Despite the efficiency of most recycling facilities, there can still be some
difficulties involved with the process of recycling plastic. Materials such as dyes, heavy
metals, pharmaceuticals, and sometimes pieces of biodegradable plastic  can potentially
contaminate an entire batch of petroleum-based plastics and it will all need to be thrown

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 away. This is why it is very important to follow the guidelines of your recycling company
regarding which plastics can and cannot be accepted.

The first step in the recycling process is one of the most crucial. If (as the user) we
don’t discard our plastic in the correct place, it will never be recycled.

When we recycle plastic there are a few useful tips to remember to speed up the
process.

First, keep in mind that almost all plastic bottles and food containers can be
recycled. When we recycle these containers it is important to wash them or shake them out
to reduce the amount of food waste that is being sent to the recycling center.

Second, remove the screw caps from any bottles you are recycling. The caps are
made from a different type of plastic than the bottle. If we do not remove them they must
be removed by employees at the recycling center before they can be processed.

Both of these tips will reduce the amount of work and energy required in the
recycling process.

What plastics can be recycled?

Not all types of plastic can be recycled, but how do you know which can and which cannot
be recycled?

On most plastic containers and bottles you will find a small number denoting the type of
plastic that it is. This code is not required, but it is becoming more and more common.

 Plastic numbers 1, 2, 4 & 5 can be recycled.

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 These plastics are different types of polyethylene and polypropylene. They are used in
items ranging from water bottles and toys to grocery bags. These plastics are the most
common types used.

 Plastic numbers 3, 6, and 7 cannot be recycled.

These are PVC, polystyrene, and all other types of plastics not mentioned. These plastics
have been shown to contain toxins and chemicals that cause human health problems .

How much plastic is recycled?

Since the mass production of plastics began in the 1950s, we have produced over 8.3
billion metric tons of plastic.

Out of all of this plastic, we have only recycled around 9 percent of it.

Out of the remaining 91 percent, around 12 percent has been incinerated and 79 percent is
currently in landfills.

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This plastic will sit in landfills for the next hundreds of years before it degrades  (if it even
will) and during that time even more plastic will accumulate.

Products made from recycled plastic

Over the last 10 years more and more products have begun to be produced using
recycled plastics. These products span a huge range: from skateboards to reusable bags to
even sunglasses. The opportunity for more and different types of recycled plastic products
is nearly endless.

The amount of recycled plastic products is ever increasing. This is a positive sign
that people are becoming more environmentally aware of the negative impacts of plastics
and benefit of recycling  them.

Almost all of the plastic we use becomes waste and a huge amount eventually
reaches our oceans, rivers, and terrestrial habitats. We already know this waste has
huge implications for our natural ecosystems  and cannot be allowed to continue. As a
species we need to acknowledge this problem and work together to actively conquer it. A
good start to this battle is recycling the plastics that we already use and being positive role
models for our peers.

Reducing your use of plastic is best, but recycling your plastic whenever possible is
the next-best solution!

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Conclusion
There is so much information about recycling. But high quality education is a must if the
amount of recycling is to be increased. We must communicate one message if people are to
understand the seriousness of the problem. Everyone should understand the subject
thoroughly so that the only excuse can be a lack of interest. The problem of contamination of
recycling bins must be overcome.
Research is of vital importance and must continue. For example, the recycling of
films which are laminates of different plastics must continue to be investigated. Together we
must reduce, reuse and recycle. We can reduce by purchasing items with the least amount of
packaging and buying in bulk when appropriate. We can reuse by avoiding disposable items.
Finally we can recycle by using community made form recycled materials.
Never before has there been a time when environmental issues such as recycling have
been more relevant. We must stop refusing to look past today.

References
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling
 https://greentumble.com/how-is-plastic-recycled-step-by-step/
 https://www.norcalcompactors.net/processes-stages-benefits-plastic-recycling/

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