PET Recycling – Towards a Circular Economy

PET Recycling – Towards a Circular Economy

The use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or plastic is found everywhere in our every-day life. An important and valuable material, plastic is critical for safe, hygienic, efficient and cheap distribution of products. Nevertheless, it is not sufficiently dealt with after the use and thrown away in the rivers and streams, which eventually ends up in the ocean. Using plastic responsibly helps not only for the sustainable development but also functionality of society.

Get to Know PET Plastic and its Features

PET or PETE, which is an abbreviation for polyethylene terephthalate, is a thermoplastic polymer that has its application in packaging, textile fibers, automotive parts, films and electronics. The most common clear plastic found anywhere is the water bottle.

Some key features of the PET plastic are:

• It is a semi-crystalline resin, which is colorless and flexible in its natural state.
• It holds exceptional electrical insulating properties.
• It is fairly easy to recycle and can withstand high temperature and wear.
• It is easy to transport for it is lightweight and strong.
• It is suitable for glass-replacement and transparent applications.

Moving towards a Circular Economy

With a “take-make-dispose” plan, a linear economy leads to severe consequences of excessive pollution, resource scarcity and ultimately to ecosystem degradation.As a responsible human, we need to take a radical and prompt action while using plastic at every point. While having the responsibility, we also have the opportunity to hold its use within a circular economy in the given technological limitsand keep it away from the environment.

Here are a few essential steps for moving towards a circular economy:

1. Increasing recycling significantly: For the best circular economy approach, we must not only increase but also resort to high-quality recycling, which helps save the environment and nature for future generations. It is also essential to maximize and improve the recycling process.
2. Efficient collection and transportation from the point of consumption: While recycling gains momentum, it is imperative to ensure that the used plastic is efficiently collected and transported to the recycling plant by reducing the volume.
3. Raise awareness of the consequence of linear economy model: With only 14 percent of plastic packaging reaching the recycling plants, where only 9 percent is recycled, it shows how unsustainable the linear economy model is in this world. Raising awareness of recycling and having more plants to ensure that all the plastic collected at the doors is safely processed and converted into raw materials is important.
4. Increase the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic: This is possible by including high-density polyethylene (HDPE), as well as PET in packaging.

The steps mentioned above can help promote the functional values of PET plastic; thus, moving towards a circular economy.

We, at Biocrux, are committed to saving nature by offering a 360-degree solution for waste management by reducing the volume of PET bottles through automatic plastic bottle crushing machines installed at various points of consumption, collecting and transporting them to the recycling plant and upcycling the plastic to create a new valuable product. With our plastic recycling commitments, we are driving change.