Introduction
Recycling is a complicated issue. Recycling operations in general may be categorized as open-loop or closed-loop operations. Closed-loop recycling, which can be called up-cycling, means recycling a commodity back to its original state of packaging. The waste or by-product of one of the processes, or the product itself, is used in the closed-loop recycling method to produce another product of the same kind or category.
For example, recycling an aluminum beverage can be an example of closed-loop recycling to produce another aluminum product, maybe even another beverage can. Open-loop recycling, also known as down-cycling, means that a component can be recycled into certain forms of goods that use requirements of lower quality materials. For example, when plastic bottles are
recycled, they can not necessarily be transformed back into containers due to a degradation in the consistency of the material, such as how it looks and feels.
Open-loop recycling is considered inferior to closed-loop recycling, because the material's original purpose or quality is diminished and will ultimately become waste at the end of its life cycle.
A recycling system itself contains three main stages: one: Collection, two: Pre-Processing and three: End-Processing.
Pre-Processing
Things are usually crafted from different materials. Such products need to be isolated and delivered to dedicated recycling facilities so that the recycling efficiency is optimum. In this text we are dealing with the example of cars. The first step is the disassembly, that means certain elements are removed manually or automatically. Dangerous parts must be removed before recycling. At cars, for example, this is the fuel tank. The second step is the crushing and breaking of the different parts.
Now for plastic. There are three primary methods for handling the plastics. The first one is optical. This means one piece of plastic sends and reflects a beam of light in the Infra-Red ear spectrum. Plastics can be seen if they are not black, thanks to this spectroscopy. In this case the absorption is simply too strong, but a solution based on a spark burning the material locally and the smoke analysis is a reasonable complement. The last option is to let the plastic parts float and help isolate them from their variations in density. The downside of this strategy is that when their densities are close those plastics can not be isolated.
Tips for less plastic consumption
- use fabric bags instead of plastic bags
- avoid ingredients such as microplastics in cosmetic products
- use clothes as long as possible
- separate waste
- use reusable bottles
Current situation
Nearly half of all plastic has ended up landfilling or dumping in the wild since 1950, and just 9 % of the plastic used has been properly recycled. It is estimated that between 4 and 12 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans each year. However, there remain a significant number of impediments to the advancement of recycling at any point of the plastic life cycle. Through taking measures to encourage recycling, plastic product producers, regulators, waste managers and consumers can all have significant impact on the recycling sector's growth.
Vocabulary
considered inferior - als minderwertig betrachtet
degradation - Abbau
disassembly - Demontage
beam - Strahl
absorption - Aufnahme
Quiz
Check your knowledge (forms.office.com)
Sources
Introduction Recycling (courses.edx.org)
Pic - Recycling logo (ibc-blog.de)
Pre-Processing (courses.edx.org)
Pic - Recycling cars (kues.magazin.de)
Tips for less plastic consumption (wwf.de)
Current sitution (journals.openedition.org)
Pic - Plastics life cycle (journals.openedition.org)
Team
Nicole & Zeynep