Plastics in Daily Life

Presented by Rafiha Rafiha Bitar, Dan Braunworth, Bitar, Dan Braunworth, Lina Chan, Nick Dose, Lina Chan, Nick Dose,

Ben Kong, John Ben Kong, John Nguyen, Susan Puckett, Nguyen, Susan Puckett,

Canan Schumann, Canan Schumann, Jason Siefken, Douglas Jason Siefken, Douglas Van Bossuyt, Jessica Van Bossuyt, Jessica Varin, Kari Varin, Skip Varin, Kari Varin, Skip

RochefortRochefortand and

P4P class of 2003 P4P class of 2003

***The word plastic comes from the Greek word plastikos, meaning "able to be molded."

***Thermoplastic is a material that is plastic or deformable, melts to a liquid state when heated. It can be melted and reformed numerous times.

***Thermosetting plastics (thermosets) are polymer materials that cure, through the addition of energy, to a stronger form. The curing process transforms the resin into a plastic or rubber by a cross-linking process. A thermoset plastic cannot be melted and reformed.

Resin Identification Numbers

Recycling No.

Abbreviation Polymer Name

Uses

PETE or PET Polyethylene Terephthalate

Recycled to produce polyester fibres,

thermoformed sheet, strapping, soft drink bottles.

HDPE High-Density Polyethylene

Recycled to become various bottles, grocery bags,

recycling bins, agricultural pipe, base cups, car stops,

playground equipment, and plastic lumber.

PVC or V Polyvinyl Chloride

Recycled to become pipe, fencing, and non-food

bottles.

Resin Identification Numbers

LDPE Low-Density Polyethylene

Recycled to become plastic bags, various containers, dispensing bottles, wash

bottles, tubing, and various molded laboratory

equipment

PP Polypropylene Recycled into auto parts and

industrial fibers.

PS Polystyrene

Recycled into a wide range of products including office accessories, cafeteria trays,

toys, video cassettes and cases, insulation board and

expanded polystyrene products (e.g. Styrofoam).

OTHER

Other plastics, including acrylic,

polycarbonate, polylactic acid , nylon

and fiberglass

Did you know????

• The energy saved by recycling one soda bottle will:

– Power a 100 watt light bulb for almost an hour

– Power a computer for 25 minutes

– Power a color TV for 20 minutes

– Power a washing machine for 10 minutes

Plastic Facts• Over 6.5 billion pounds of plastic were

produced in 2006

• Over 16 million tons of plastic waste is generated annually in the U.S. and about 2.2% of all plastics is currently recycled.

• It takes about 450 years just for one plastic bottle to break down in the ground!

Interesting Recycling Facts The United States makes enough plastic film

each year to shrink-wrap the state of Texas. If you lined up all the polystyrene foam cups

made in just one day, they would circle the earth. 

Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kills as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year !

Americans use 4 million plastic bottles every hour! -- Yet only 1 bottle out of 4 is recycled

Interesting Recycling Facts About 1,200 soft drink and salad dressing

containers could carpet the average living room.

Each year American throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups, enough every

year to circle the earth 436 times. In 1988 we used 2 billion pounds of HDPE

just to make bottles for household products. That’s about the weight of 90,000 Honda Civics.

McNary Dining CenterPlastic Use for 2003

Type of Container

Mass of Each Container

Mass Used per Week

Type of Plastic

Pint of Milk 25.2 grams 54.43 kilograms #1, PET

Gallon of Milk 67.5 grams 1.35 kilograms #2, HDPE

Dressing container 140 grams 1.4 kilograms #2, HDPE

Syrup container 115.5 grams 1.85 kilograms #2, HDPE

Cooking Oil 130.5 grams 1.3 kilograms #2, HDPE

To-go-boxes 39 grams 78 kilograms #6, PS

20 oz. Soda 30.5 grams 13.18 kilograms #1, PET

Total mass per week: 153.4 kilograms/week

Weeks in 1 school year: 33

Total mass per school year: 5062.2 kilograms/year

Student Consumer Recycling Bin @ OSU Campus Recycling

Corvallis Disposal Company(bundled and sent on)

Stores

Source Recycling in AlbanyDistributors (Pepsi, Coke, etc.)

Materials Recycling in Wilsonville(separated, shredded, sold)

Melting/Forming Facilities (sold as raw recycled plastic)

Qualified Rehabilitation Facility(sorted for deposit)

Landfill soldnot-sold

not for deposit

for deposit

Plastic Recycling Process

Biodegradable Plastic Cycle

Examples of Biodegradable Plastics

Where Are Recycled Plastics Used?Product Company Percentage of

Recycled Plastic Used in Product

Backpack Data Access International

100%

Hats 75%

Frisbees Amazing Recycled Products

25%-75%

Computer Diskettes Green Disk Clean, Deleted, Resold

CD’s Green Disk 100%

Video Tapes Green Disk 75%

The Solution Pencil Stan Miller and Associates

50% Recycled Rubber

PCR Fleece Patagonia 80%

Bike Water Bottles Weisenbach Specialty Printing

100%

Did you Know?

In a Barrel of Crude Oil19.4 Gallons of Gasoline

9.7 Gallons of Distillate Fuel Oil

4.3 Gallons of Kerosene-Type Jet Fuel

2.0 Gallons of Coke

1.9 Gallons of Residual Fuel Oil

1.9 Gallons of Liquefied Refinery Gasses

1.8 Gallons of Still Gas

1.4 Gallons of Asphalt and Road Oil

1.1 Gallons of Petrochemical Feedstocks

0.5 Gallons of Lubricants

0.2 Gallons of Kerosene

A Barrel of Recycled Oil…• Can generate electricity to

run a household for 21 days

• Can cook 1008 meals in a microwave oven

• Can blow dry hair 4536 times

• Will vacuum a house for about 26 years

• Can run a television set for 3,780 hours (158 days)

1. The process begins with shredding the incoming materials which breaks apart the diapers. Once the incoming materials are shredded, they are sent to a pulper.

2. The pulping action opens up the diapers. This begins the process of separating the components and exposes them for chemical treatment. Sanitizing occurs at the pulper. The plastic is removed by finger conveyors and is sent to trommels.

3. The plastics are processed in trommels, where residual fibers and waste are removed by washing. Then the plastics are then pressed and pelletized for sale to the market.

Disposable Diaper RecyclingThe Knowaste Process

4. The pulp stream goes to coarse screening to further remove plastics which are also sent to the trommel. This stream is chemically treated to deactivate the SAP to make it possible to separate it from the fiber.

5. The deactivated SAP, along with residual small plastics, is separated from the fiber through a cleaning process. The deactivated SAP can be collected and reactivated for reuse.

6. The fibers are then put through a fine mechanical washing, cleaning and screening process. This produces a clean, marketable fiber. The reject material is sent to a sludge press.

7. The clean fiber is then pressed, baled and sold into the market. These fibers are of excellent quality as they contain very high quantity of Softwood Kraft.

8. The water extracted in the washing and thickening steps is sent to internal treatment using a dissolved air clarifier and recycled in the system as dilution water.

9. The sludge from the clarifier, as well as the fine screening and cleaning rejects, are thickened and sent to composting, for which they are well-suited and break down readily.

Disposable Diaper Recycling Process (Knowaste LLC Process)

Thanks for coming and

remember to:ReduceReuse

RecycleRemanufacture

!