There are many popular techniques to recycle and reuse polymer wastes but till now non of the techniques have satisfied our needs as some of the process are highly energy efficient and some emits toxic vapors. More or less these techniques are like converting the solid plastic waste to gas based pollutants and shifting our current problem to 20 years later or its like increasing the burden to coming generation. As responsible citizens it is our responsibility to make sure that we treat all type of waste during our time and give a fresh environment to the coming generation.
This question cannot be answered in general. Much depends on the cleanliness and homogeneity of the waste. Production waste and selectively collected packaging waste can be recycled (to a certain dgeree) by primary (mechanical or material) recycing methods. Mixed waste, especially plastics for the municipal solid waste can be recycled with much less effectiveness. Here conversion to low molecular organic gases and liquids is better. The last possibility is incineration or co-firing.
I appreciate the intention of Deepak Kumar with this hot topic. Recycling is necessary and there are many things to keep in mind. Glass, paper and cans are recycled, they become similar products which can be used and recycled over and over again. Plastic waste can be converted into new products; the various types of plastics must be separated according to their number codes: There are seven number codes for plastics. Codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. They represents PET or PETE (poly ethylene terepthalate), HDPE (high density poly ethylene), PVC (poly vinyl chloride), LDPE (low density poly ethylene), PP (poly propylene), PS (poly styrene), and others, respectively. Types 1 and 2 (i.e. PET and HDPE) are commonly recycled. Type 4 (LDPE) is less commonly recycled. The other types are generally not recycled. However, these plastics are only recycled once. The economic efficiency and the environmental impact during the regeneration process due to the formation of hazardous bye-products have taken into consideration.
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