Use the next 30 seconds to check out your surroundings. It’s probably safe to bet there’s something plastic in your immediate area – a wadded candy wrapper, water bottle, or a takeout container from lunch; even the mouse you’re using now to surf the internet. Hate it or love it, plastic is everywhere.
The best players in the plastic lifecycle game are ‘reduce’ and ‘reuse’. While there are 7 numeric codes to categorize different types of plastic, we’re talking here about the make-up of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic, which has one of the highest recycling rates in America. Classed as Plastic #1, the resin is typically found in bottles for salad dressings, beer, ketchup, mouthwash, sports drinks, juice, soft drinks and water.
To translate the energy savings from PET plastic recycling in a more tangible way, just one 20-ounce bottle can save sufficient energy to power a laptop for 25 minutes, or a CFL (compact fluorescent light bulb) for almost 10 hours. Moreover, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastic recycling of a 1-gallon milk bottle saves enough energy to power a clothes washer for more than an hour or a fan for about 3 hours.
Recycling helps reduce adverse environmental impact across the board. Using recovered materials in products saves natural resources, water, landfill space, energy, and helps to create jobs, so it’s an all-round winner. Plastic recycling is actively contributing to America’s economic vigor.
Since 1996, our team at Best Disposal Inc. has been serving Lexington, North Carolina and surrounding areas. We offer a range of convenient and affordable disposal solutions, as well as trash compactor rentals. For more info, please contact us.