Two-thirds of plastics are still ending up in landfill

[Chittychangchang]

Only a third of the plastic in packaging pots and trays for food bought by households can be recycled, according to shocking new figures. Despite people attempting to be green, the vast majority of our plastics still end up in landfill. Analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households a year. A UK landfill shows the scale of the plastic problem (Picture: Getty) But just 169,145 tonnes can be recycled, with two-thirds heading for landfill or incineration. Town hall chiefs have now urged manufacturers to scrap the ‘smorgasbord’ of plastics used to package foods from fruit and vegetables to yogurts, margarine and microwave meals to help cut waste and increase recycling. The LGA said councils had done all they can to tackle plastic waste, with 99% of local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77% picking up pots, tubs and trays. Only one-third of our plastic waste actually gets recycled (Picture: Getty) But packaging for food can be made from a variety of polymers, the molecules which make up plastic, which need to be separated out to remove low-grade and non-recyclable types of plastic such as polystyrene. Some packaging uses different plastics such as the body and lid of a yogurt pot, while fruit and vegetables punnets are made from three types of polymer, and microwave meals are cased in black plastic which cannot be easily sorted. Five examples of plastic packaging that is difficult to deal with 1. Margarine and ice cream tubs use polypropylene, which is extremely difficult to recycle, but they could be made with the plastic used for water bottles which can be easily recycled. 2. Microwave meal and meat packaging often uses black plastic that cannot be easily scanned and sorted, but changing the colour of these trays could lead to an increase in recycling. 3. Fruit and vegetable punnets use three polymers in their construction, so councils are calling for a simpler design using recyclable materials. 4. Yogurt pots use a mixture of two polymers, polypropylene and polystyrene, which are difficult to recycle but some companies now use the same material as used for plastic bottles, making them easily recyclable. 5. Bakery goods trays use two hard-to-recycle polymers, but more recyclable materials are available to store baked goods. Manufacturers should work with councils and develop a plan to stop unrecyclable plastic being used, the Government should consider a ban on low-grade plastics and producers should contribute to the cost of collecting or disposing of the products, the LGA urged. Judith Blake, LGA environment spokeswoman, said: ‘It’s time for manufacturers to stop letting a smorgasboard of unrecyclable and damaging plastic flow into our environment. ‘We’ve been calling for producers of unrecyclable material to develop a plan to stop this from entering the environment for years. ‘That needs to happen urgently, but the Government should now consider banning low-grade plastics, particularly those for single use, in order to increase recycling. We are still using too many plastics (Picture: Getty) ‘If manufacturers don’t want to get serious about producing material which can be recycled and protecting our environment, then they should at least contribute towards the cost that local taxpayers have to pay to clear it up.’ A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokeswoman said: ‘Our recycling rates are rising, less waste is now sent to landfill and separate food waste collections are increasing. ‘However, there is much more to do. That’s why we are we are working with industry to improve the nation’s recycling rates further, including by making more products recyclable.’

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/04/two-t...8/?ito=cbshare
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[Latindancer]

[Dillinger]

^ id have thought India would be in there

[Maanaam]

^ id have thought India would be in there

Maybe it's to do with currents and land formations around India's river deltas? Maybe all their river-borne plastic ends up on Indian shores?

[VocalNeal]

No 7-Eleven's in rural India?

[Loy Toy]

id have thought India would be in there

India, on an engineering/ manufacturing level are quite savy and realise the value of rigid plastic waste for the purpose of recycling.

The biggest problem is PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) normally used for plastic and carbonated beverage bottles, CAN be recycled but needs a very expensive additive to control the homogeneous flow rate after the resin has been remelted. Hence the land fill disposal method or people just throw the bottles away.

Names
IUPAC namePoly(ethyl benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate)
Identifiers
CAS Number	25038-59-9
Abbreviations	PET, PETE
ChemSpider	none
ECHA InfoCard	100.121.858
Properties
Chemical formula	(C10H8O4)n[1]
Molar mass	variable
Density	1.38 g/cm3 (20 °C),[2]amorphous: 1.370 g/cm3,[1]single crystal: 1.455 g/cm3[1]
Melting point	> 250 °C,[2] 260 °C[1]
Boiling point	> 350 °C (decomposes)
Solubility in water	practically insoluble[2]
log P	0.94540[3]
Thermal conductivity	0.15[4] to 0.24 W m−1 K−1[1]
Refractive index(nD)	1.57–1.58,[4] 1.5750[1]
Thermochemistry
Specific heat capacity (C)	1.0 kJ/(kg·K)[1]
Related compounds
Related Monomers	Terephthalic acid Ethylene glycol
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
verify (what is ?)
Infobox references

Polyethylene terephthalate

[Maanaam]

“The 10 top-ranked rivers transport 88 to 95 per cent of the global load into the sea.”

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1694940...cluding-indus/