Recycle Plastic at Home. Plastic is one of the most abundant wastes in many houses. The main cause is found in the packaging and wrappings that proliferate in food and, whether we like it or not, end up being part of the shopping cart in many supermarkets. These plastics are especially polluting, since it is a material that does not degrade easily.
In fact, it is estimated that a plastic bag may take around 500 years to disappear. That is, it is a very long-lasting waste that contaminates ecosystems of all kinds, especially marine ones, where a large part of containers and plastic bottles end up.
How to Recycle Plastic at Home
Because of this, the recycling of plastic should be a priority when it comes to reducing the presence of these wastes in nature. If you want to know how to recycle plastic at home in an easy and simple way, keep reading this article and we’ll tell you.
What to throw in the yellow container
In order for the plastic to be recycled it is necessary to separate it from the rest of the garbage we produce. This process begins in our own house, separating this type of garbage in the yellow bucket, which is the one destined for plastics, cans, and containers. The yellow bag is intended for packaging products in general, being the destination of, among others:
- Plastic bags
- Cans
- Polystyrene trays
- Wrap film
- Metal boat covers
- Bubble paper
- Plastic bags for weighing fruit and vegetables
- Yogurt containers
As you can see, there are many wastes that should be allocated to this yellow cube and, precisely for this reason, it is very important that we have one in our own house. In fact, one of the excuses of many people when it comes to not recycling plastic consists of the “lack of space” for this cube. However, as we have seen, plastic is one of the most polluting garbage that exists, so it is necessary to recycle it correctly, so it is important to find a way to do it at home.
Ways to recycle plastic at home
There are several solutions to finding that coveted site for the yellow cube:
- Placing the garbage in another place: on the one hand, it may be the case that, simply placing the garbage on another side, we have the necessary site to dispose of two garbage bins (the general waste and plastics).
- Plastic bucket outside the kitchen: however, if our kitchen is particularly small and there is not really a second bucket, we can also place it in a place other than the kitchen, such as the terrace or the kitchen. laundry room. Keep in mind that, unlike what happens with traditional garbage, the yellow bucket hardly smells. This is because it is non-organic waste and, as a result, does not rot and does not produce bad odors.
- Put the plastic in a bag: if still we can not find room for the bucket, we can also choose to keep the plastic remains in a bag without a bucket, which will reduce its size considerably. This bag can be hung on the wall or on the handle of the kitchen door. Although, it is not the most aesthetic option, think that it is a good cause, so it will be more important to put ethics before aesthetics.
What about the garbage we throw
Once the yellow bag is full, it should be taken to the yellow container. The way in which this bag reaches the container will depend on the type of housing in which we reside. Some neighborhood communities have beadles or porters who are responsible for depositing the garbage bag in the community bucket. Afterward, the garbage trucks pick up these bags and deposit them in the compartments destined for these materials. Although there is a hoax that garbage trucks mix garbage, it is simply a lie.
Actually, the trucks that collect normal garbage and recycling are the same. However, inside these trucks, there are separate compartments for each type of garbage as the case may be. Can you imagine the disproportionate cost of having a fleet of trucks for each type of garbage? The logical thing is that they are the ones who collect all the garbage in one trip.
On the other hand, we can also find homes where there is no garbage collection system. In these cases, we will be the ones who will have to carry the yellow bag to the corresponding container. These containers are placed next to normal garbage containers, so that, in the same trip, we can deposit all the garbage bags that we have. In fact, the most common is to find also the blue paper container and the green glass next to the gray and yellow.
Finally, the yellow garbage bags will be transported to a specialized recycling center. There, the garbage of the yellow bag will be classified according to the type of material of each waste and, finally, it will be possible to start the process that will allow to obtain new raw materials from what was previously simple garbage.
The 3 RRR: reduce, reuse, recycle
Do you know what the three R’s are? It is a way of thinking that says that, although recycling is better than throwing away, the whole process should be developed in three steps: reduce, reuse, and, finally, recycle. We can not forget that, the main objective of recycling, is to reduce the impact on the environment. However, although the environmental impact when we recycle is much lower than if we do not, there will still be a real impact on the planet.
The first R: reduce
The three Rs are a philosophy of consumption that affirm that, in the first place, the best we can do is reduce. When talking about reducing refers to reducing consumption in all its aspects, especially as it affects the packaging.
For example, if instead of using a plastic bag to weigh the bananas we buy at the supermarket, we put the weight sticker directly on the fruit, we avoid so many plastic bags that have to be produced, so the impact will be zero.
The second R: reuse
Second, the three Rs defend the importance of reusing. Following the example of the supermarket, if we carry a reusable bag ourselves every time we make a purchase, we will not need to buy new bags.
In this way, although the environment will have had an impact to produce that bag, there will be no new impacts because we reuse it again and again.
The third R: recycle
Finally, the three Rs defend that, when a product, such as a bag, can no longer be reused, the time for recycling will have arrived.
In this way, we will reduce the environmental impact to the maximum, which is still the objective that we all have to have in mind when we have to make the decision to consume in one way or another.
Other ways to recycle plastic at home
Another way we have to help the environment that we can easily in our homes is using machines to recycle plastic, also called domestic plastic shredders.
- Domestic plastic crusher: today we can easily get domestic plastic crushers. These apparatuses are in charge, literally, of crushing the plastic that we throw. In this way we will be able to fill even more our cube destined for the plastic since otherwise it would be filled immediately. Of course, to use a plastic shredder it is convenient to know first what plastics can be recycled and what can not.
- Machine to recycle plastic: this utensil is a little more complex and more difficult to have at home, but not impossible. It is a machine capable of doing various processes of plastic recycling, depending on which we have. You even have the option to crush or melt the plastic at home. However, as with the plastic shredder, it will be important to know in advance the plastics that can be recycled, as well as the correct process of purifying and recycling the plastic.
