Plastic has emerged as one of the most widely used materials, there are around 10,000 types of plastics, right from pet bottles to kids’ toys and even clothes. Studies show that a major chunk of the global waste is composed of various kinds of plastic, that can cause a negative impact on the environment. So, plastic recycling was introduced, to produce new products from discarded plastic scrap and waste. In other words, such recycling can be defined as a procedure, which is used for reprocessing such waste into new products. The first and foremost benefit of recycling plastic is conservation of petroleum, which is getting scarce. Large amount of petroleum is needed for making new plastic products, and around 40% of the petroleum consumption can be reduced by recycling old and discarded plastic. The benefits of recycling plastic include a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. In other words, greenhouse gases are emitted while burning petroleum, and if the amount of petroleum used in making plastic is reduced through recycling, the emission of these gases will also reduce.
Even the landfill space can be saved through recycling. It is said that removal of one ton of plastic for recycling spares a landfill space of around 7.5 cubic yards.
One of the important environmental benefits of recycling plastic bags and bottles is that, it saves animals, birds, and a wide range of aquatic creatures from death due to ingestion of plastic. The chemicals in plastic can also pollute the soil as well as water.
