Recycled Plastic

Though 85% of Americans view recycling favorably, only 9% of plastics are recycled. For many communities, plastics are not even collected, or very few types are, leading to more cross contamination in the collected good. Collected plastic is almost always also contaminated by non-plastic products, food debris and dirt.

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Utilizing recycled plastic has 2 major benefits: decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels (an essential part of most virgin plastics) and decreasing the amount of waste that goes into the landfills and waterways. 

However, the process of recycling still requires used plastic to be transported to a recycling facility, which increases emissions. The step of shredding the plastics creates microplastics that can contaminate the water used to clean them. These microplastics harm aquatic environments and animals living them, as well as animals who consume those animals, including humans. The process of melting down the post-consumer product requires energy to melt and reconstitute the material into pellets that are readily useable for new projects.

Purchasing post-consumer plastic products is certainly better than products made solely from virgin plastic. But the longevity and afterlife of the product should still be considered, since it will still remain without biodegrading for thousands of years.