How plastic bags are recycled. The impact of plastic bags on the environment How bags are recycled

Plastic bags.

Your existence plastic bags are obliged to processed oil and natural gas. They are highly durable, but they are not biodegradable. Not even 60 years have passed since the invention and popularization of the first packages, which means that none of them has yet undergone absolute biological decay in natural conditions. The household packages that have lost their consumer properties and ended up in natural environment, create sustainable pollution to the entire ecosystem. When they are heated and burned, harmful substances are released that are toxic to the entire ecological system. The plastic bag can be recycled in an industrial environment, only by separating it from the contents.

Plastic bags.

Cellophane is a transparent grease and water-resistant material made from viscose. The ecological safety of cellophane is due to the high rate of its biological decomposition and the absence of plasticizers in the composition, and containing glycerin in the composition is harmless to living organisms and to the environment in general environment... These qualities of cellophane revives interest in this type of packaging - when separated from dyes and impurities, it is completely processed by microorganisms and is possible recycling.

Oxo biodegradable bags.

In their production, the same polymer raw materials (crushed plastic bottles - flex pet) are used as in the manufacture of plastic bags, but with the addition of degradants. The additives artificially accelerate the biodegradation process in the environment into carbon, water, trace elements and biomass under the influence of temperature, ultraviolet radiation and oxygen. The decomposition period of oxo-biodegradable packaging is 1-3 years. Impurities that reduce the mechanical strength and contribute to the early decomposition of plastic make it impossible to recycle it in its pure form.

Hydro-biodegradable bags.

The basis for their production is food crops - plant polymers obtained from food highly starchy crops such as beets, corn, wheat. They are characterized by high environmental friendliness at all stages of operation, but low strength indicators and high consumption of resources during production. The process of complete biological decay into carbon and water in 30-70 days, as a result of decomposition, biomass (compost) is formed. A T-shirt-type bag is made of natural material; garbage bags and packing bags.

Paper bags. Kraft paper bags.

The raw material for their production is wood or waste paper. They have a short service life, thereby increasing their quantitative consumption and production costs for electricity and water. The ideal scheme for optimizing production and natural costs includes the complex responsibility of the manufacturer and the buyer. Several recycling of one paper bag is possible - packaging material is made from wood, which is recycled again into packaging after the period of use. At the same time, waste paper is recycled with less energy consumption, and the paper, having completed its consumer cycle, is decomposed in the soil by microorganisms.

Reusable polyester bags.

Sewn from synthetic artificial material obtained from recycled polymeric waste (recycled plastic). Completely eliminate the need to buy plastic bags. With daily use, one such bag will last from three to five years and will replace several thousand bags. Polyester products are included in the list of materials approved by the state sanitary inspection authorities of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for contact with food, non-toxic when burning and decomposing. Polyester bags are recommended for recycling.

Textile bags.

Made from vegetable fibers - jute, cotton, flax, bamboo or recycled materials. Eco bags have become not just an impersonal packaging for purchases, but an independent part of the wardrobe. After completing their consumption cycle, bags decompose into non-toxic substances.

Each of us is able to improve the situation with the environment, we just need to be attentive to our own garbage and throw it into separate containers for solid waste.

flexpet.ru

Plastic bags and films | Separate collection ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

Everything you wanted to know about packages and did not hesitate to ask.

There are quite a few companies that process soft polymers, but most of them prefer to work with waste from large enterprises and look at “household” plastic with distrust. There are good reasons for this: household plastic is often contaminated with substances that unpredictably affect the recycling process, and it turns out to be more difficult to wash these substances from soft packaging than from hard ones. Companies naturally do not want to risk expensive equipment and the quality of entire batches of finished products due to impurities in raw materials and they follow the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, there are still few people willing to invest in new technologies for pre-processing of raw materials that reduce the above risks.

There are also companies that do not impose strict requirements on raw materials, for example, manufacturers of polymer-sand tiles and other building materials are ready to accept even a mixture of different types of soft plastic.

Types of plastic bags and films.

• polyethylene (marking 02, HDPE, HDPE and 04, LDPE, LDPE): polyethylene is of high and low density (low and high pressure, respectively), if there is no marking, then one material can be distinguished from another as follows: thin rustling packing bags and a large part of the "T-shirt" packages is 02; and soft, like oily sachets, greenhouse, stretch and bubble wrap - 04.
• polypropylene (marking 05, PP, PP): most often such packaging is shiny and “crispy”, tears easily, does not stretch. Polypropylene is used to pack cereals, pasta, bread, biscuits, etc. Opaque wrappers from chocolate bars are also PP with the addition of dye, such packaging is more difficult to recycle, therefore it is not accepted everywhere.
• combined plastic (marking type C / xx or 07 / other)
• biodegradable and pseudo-biodegradable (be sure to read about the difference in a separate material!)

Do not confuse plastic bags with cellophane!

A huge number of people habitually call this word any rustling waterproof bags. In fact, today 99.9% of bags and films are made of plastic - polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE) or polypropylene (PP). Cellophane, as reflected in its name, is a chemically processed cellulose - that is, it is the closest relative of paper and is marked with PAP (that is, paper, paper).

The cellophane boom took place in the 70s - 80s. Since the beginning of the 90s, it began to be replaced by cheaper and easier-to-manufacture polyethylene. However, if the plastic bag quickly decomposes into organic components, the plastic bag will take about 150 years to decompose.

The question of how much more environmentally friendly cellophane is than polyethylene is controversial - after all, in order to produce a cellophane bag, you need not only to combine a couple of molecules, but to cut down a living tree and thoroughly process it. However, due to its advantages in reducing the global landfill, this material is slowly reappearing on the market. It is dangerous to mix cellophane with plastic bags and films that are being recycled - cellulose can flare up under conditions in which plastic cannot catch fire in principle. In addition, if it gets into a tile made from shredded bags, cellophane will start to rot, which is why it will become unusable ahead of time. Therefore, a big request: if you come across a transparent crunchy film with PAP marking, send it to the general trash.

Cellophane article on Wikipedia

Where can I return plastic bags for recycling? (Information as of January 2018)

We managed to obtain reliable information about several procurement companies, both large and small, that are really engaged in the collection, processing (and partially recycling) of soft plastic generated by the population. We hope that the list will be supplemented and expanded, including with your help. Email us if you find out something new!

ExpertVtor prepares different types of recyclable materials, also accepts and independently recycles LDPE packages and film, and some time ago they began to accept PP (5) and HDPE (2) packages, but not any (see the table below for details10. These "ExpertVtor" packages are sorted, pressed and sold to other processors.

• stationary reception center at the Flacon design plant st. Bolshaya Novodmitrovskaya, 36, building 15. (to the right of building 15). There is an inspector at the point during working hours, but even without him, the point works offline daily and around the clock!
• on the shares of our movement:

The Cessor company is based in Elektrostal near Moscow and is engaged in the collection and partial processing of recyclable materials, incl. polymer. Accepts any bags / soft plastic packaging, except for foil and the one with markings 3 and 7. During an excursion to the processing plant "Cessora", our activists learned that recyclable materials from the shares are being sent to other converters. If the raw material is pre-sorted by type (and color!), Then it has a chance for a higher level of processing than becoming an additive to polymer sand tiles. Recyclers, with whom Cessor works: recyclene.ru, mplastika.ru, etc. Where they accept:

• stationary containers in Elektrostal (see map recyclemap.ru)
• at the actions of our Movement “Separate Collection:

The Ecoline company works under a long-term government contract in the CAO and CAO districts, declares that some types of soft packaging can be put into their containers for separate collection (see the table below for details), but has not yet provided information on what happens next.

Project "Glass" from Butovo. Where it accepts: at shares in Butovo in the South-West Administrative District, Moscow

The company "Sphere Ecology" at its reception point at "Artplay" today accepts only transparent packaging and air bubble film LDPE (04). Where it accepts: Moscow, Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya st., 10 for building 3 (from 9 to 19, without lunch and days off)

type of soft packaging	company
	ExpertSecond	Cessor	Ecoline	Glass	Sphere of Ecology
HDPE, HDPE, 02, 2, transparent	yes	yes	yes	no	no
HDPE, HDPE, 02, 2, opaque	yes	yes	?	no	no
LDPE, LDPE, 04, 4, transparent	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
LDPE, LDPE, 04, 4, opaque	yes	yes	?	no	no
PP, PP, 05.5, transparent	yes	yes	yes	no	no
PP, PP, 05.5, opaque	yes	yes	?	no	no
PVC / PVC / 3	no	no	no	no	no
7 (other)	no	no	no	no	no
with labels, price tags	no	no	no	no	no
dirty / greasy / with crumbs	no	no	no	no	no
"Biodegradable" bags	no	no	no	no	no
foil	no	no	no	no	no
non-foil combined plastic (marking type C / xx)	no	no	no	no	no

How bags and film mix are recycled (video)

Recycling bags and films

The problem of plastic bags and examples of solutions in the world.

Key components in PE bags are oil and natural gas... About 4% of the world's oil production is spent on their production. In this case, the average lifetime of a packet is 20 minutes, and of decomposition, from 100 years.

Few people think that this convenient invention creates a huge number of problems, kills millions of birds and animals every year, and sometimes even leads to floods.

Now more than 150 million tons of plastic pollute the world's oceans, according to the British environmental NGO Ellen Macarthur Foundation.

The problem of used bags in the world is already so acute that various measures are taken to combat environmental pollution with polyethylene, and already about 40 countries have introduced a ban or restriction on the sale and production of plastic bags:

On April 16, 2014, the European Union adopted a directive to reduce the number of plastic bags by 50% by 2017 and by 80% by 2019.

Denmark. In 1994, a tax was introduced on the free distribution of plastic bags. After that, the demand for it fell by 90%.

Germany. The disposal of the bags is paid by the consumers, and the collection and recycling of the bags is the responsibility of the sellers and distributors.

Ireland. An "ecological" tax has been introduced. As a result, package consumption has dropped by 90%.

Singapore, Bangladesh, Taiwan. A complete ban on the use of plastic bags has been introduced. The reason for this was the facts of blocking the sewage system and blocking the river beds with plastic. As a reminder, in Bangladesh, plastic bags were the main cause of floods in 1988 and 1998, which flooded 2/3 of the country.

Tanzania. Here, for the production, import or sale of plastic bags, they are fined $ 2,000, or imprisoned for a year.

Zanzibar. The import of plastic bags is prohibited.

Australia. Since January 2004, the authorities have banned plastic bags on Kangaroo Island. By the end of 2008, a direct ban on the use of plastic bags in supermarkets across the country was introduced.

England. The population here has been using biodegradable bags since 2004.

Latvia. A tax on disposable bags is used to reduce their use.

Finland. In this advanced country, shops have machines for recycling and producing new plastic.

China. From June 1, 2008, it is prohibited to produce, sell and use plastic bags with a film thickness of less than 0.025 mm, and their free distribution will be prohibited in shops and supermarkets.

Italy. Since January 1, 2011, the country has banned the use of plastic bags. Instead, they use reusable bags or biobags.

Rwanda. In the stores of the country, it was prohibited to give out plastic bags to customers. The local police on the street stop those who dare to walk with a package in their hands. Environment Minister Drosella Mugorever said some supermarkets that did not comply with the law had their trade licenses revoked.

India. Under the new law, any citizen using plastic bags can face up to 7 years' imprisonment or a fine that can amount to up to 100,000 rupees, the equivalent of 2,000 US dollars. This ban was introduced following the example of South Africa.

Egypt. The ban on the use of plastic bags was introduced in 2008. The authorities decided to take these measures in order to preserve the unique ecosystem of the Red Sea, where coral reefs are primarily affected by the plastic bags thrown into the sea.

France. In 2017, France adopted a ban on disposable plastic bags (with a capacity of less than 10 liters and a thickness of less than 50 microns - this is a millionth of a meter), which are distributed in large supermarkets around the world. This is only part of a large EU program against the use of plastic, where they already understand that it is this plastic that has a significant impact on the environment.

Russia. There are no official restrictions on the use of plastic bags in our country. However, Russia recently banned calling plastic bags "biodegradable". Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go before banning plastic bags. Meanwhile, in the capital alone, about one hundred thousand tons of plastic bags are used every year, and hardly a third of this amount is disposed of (most often, by ordinary burial).

What to do?

rsbor-msk.ru

from collection to recycled plastic

Home »Garbage and waste

Recycling of plastic bags is an upward trend in solving waste disposal problems, but there is still room for improvement, according to experts in the field of waste disposal. More and more grocery stores are joining the plastic bag recycling program, which plays an important role. Here are some important facts about the recycling of plastic bags.

Total recycling of plastic waste may rise

According to the State Environmental Protection Agency, about 13 percent of all plastic bags, plastic wrap and PET bottles are recycled in 2014. Plastic films are used in a wide variety of products, such as packaging materials. The recycling rate of plastic bags is significantly lower than that of paper and metal or recycling of plastic bottles. Almost 60 percent of all metals are recycled in 2014, according to the agency, while more than 50 percent of paper is recycled in the same year.

Recycling Plastic Bags: Objectives. The Association of Plastic Products Manufacturers, which includes most of the companies manufacturing plastic bags in Russia, has set a goal of 40 percent recycling of plastic bags and films by 2018. Achieving this goal will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy to heat 200,000 homes each year, while reducing waste of 100 million kilograms annually.

Danger of plastic bags

One of the biggest dangers of plastic bags is the associated pollution and the energy expended in the original. manufacturing process, which mainly uses natural gas. Recycling plastic bags at the waste sorting station, along with many other recycled plastic products, the recycling company offers a much cleaner production. The amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere is reduced by 50 percent, and energy savings are as high as 70 percent during plastic recycling.

Plastic bags also causes hundreds of thousands of deaths of animals at sea and on land. Sea turtles are extremely vulnerable because the floating plastic bags are like jellyfish, the main food source for turtles. Other marine animals, as well as dogs, goats, cows and other animals on land, died after eating plastic bags.

Use of recycled plastic

The process of recycling plastic bags and other plastics, the result is recycled plastic and returns clean plastic granules used to make a variety of products, from carpets to insulating layers for ski jackets, composite lumber and flooring.

meclean.ru

Where to Child Plastic Bags. Solution Options

Plastic bags are common in the kitchen. They appear in the house with groceries from shops and supermarkets and simply in the form of packaging. Each of us would like to reduce the negative impact of polyethylene on the environment, and for this we use cellophane bags a second or even a third time. So you have to hide them all over the kitchen in order to use them again after a while. But the number of cellophane bags waiting for a second use grows exponentially and becomes annoying. Some do not withstand the attack of polyethylene and throw everything out in bulk. But only to make room for new cellophane bags. nervous system in order, read our tips on where to put plastic bags and how to store plastic bags.

Ecological option.

Almost every city has a collection point for secondary raw materials. Such points accept used batteries, plastic, polyethylene, rubber tires, used batteries. To find where to drop off plastic bags in your city, just google polyethylene collection points on the Internet. Collect all the bags in a large bag (sorry for the tautology) and go to return. In addition to the sense of satisfaction received from the contribution to the ecological condition of your city, you will receive money from the recipients of recyclable materials. Let them be small, but still.

Read about making, using and disposing of plastic bags on Wikipedia.

An economical option.

No hardware store will offer you an option for storing plastic bags at home. If you visit the Internet shops, you can choose the option that suits you best, in what to store plastic bags - a kind of organizer, in which the plastic bags are inserted from above, and removed through a special hole. Such containers from the Internet can be placed on a table, can be hung on a hook on the work wall, on a doorknob, or can be hung in a niche under the sink. They are made of plastic or metal, they have all kinds of shapes and colors, but each of us knows how to count money. And no one needs additional expenses in the form of buying a container for cellophane. Therefore, we suggest choosing for yourself not only where to store plastic bags, but also how. It is convenient to store plastic bags in:

• packaging from paper napkins. Those who do not use such napkins can successfully use a tea box. In general, any cardboard, metal, plastic box will do. The compact size allows you to keep such a container in any kitchen drawer. For maximum comfort, you can cut a hole in the top of the box.
• plastic bottle. Cut off the bottom and neck of the bottle (determine the required volume yourself). Then fold the bags into it and use with pleasure. Needlewomen and creative personalities can decorate the bottle with decor. This design is also convenient because it can be attached from the inside of any kitchen door.
• continuing the theme of a plastic bottle, containers from under a liquid detergent or washing powder are suitable for the role of a bag storage.
• knitted bag. Needlewomen do not need to crochet or knit a bag for storing cellophane from the remains of yarn. If in your house there is an old knitted thing that no one is going to wear, then you can make a storage of cellophane bags from the sleeve of the product. Pull a lace or braid from both sides of the cut sleeve and tighten. The result will be something like candy or sausages (whatever you like).
• sewn doll-bag. To make such a doll, we turn on imagination and creatively approach the execution of the storage for cellophane. In the finished doll, the sewing scheme of which is on the Internet, we place a spacious bag under the skirt. We will store the packages in this bag. To prevent them from falling out, we tighten the bottom of the bag with an elastic band.
• knitted bag made of plastic bags. If you know how to knit, then instead of yarn to create a bag storage, use cellophane. This, by the way, is about where you can use plastic bags.
• paper towel or foil roll. If there are not too many bags, then you can hide them in a cardboard sleeve left after using paper towels or foil. You can store such sticks with cellophane bags inside anywhere.
• basket for spices in the package. In such a container, which is a colored basket, it is convenient to store folded large bags in an upright position, having previously tied them with a clerical elastic band.

How to compactly fold plastic bags.

We have decided on the type of cellophane storage. However, we all understand that if we try to shove all the bags in a crowd, then the capacity suffers. But, if you fold the bags compactly, then much more bags will fit into the organizer or storage bag. Folding in a neat order will not only increase the number of bags in the "bag storage", but also align them.

• folding in a triangle. We level the bag on a flat surface. Fold in half lengthwise, and then a couple more times. Grasping the bottom edge of the bag from the fold, bend it into a triangle. Next, we continue to bend with a triangle to the very top. This tiny triangle takes up little space.

if you are folding a large cellophane bag with handles in a triangle, tuck the bag handles into the triangle. Then they won't hang out.

• folding into a tube. We flatten the bag on the table, and then fold it several times to make a strip. We wrap the strip around two fingers, and not with the wrapped bag handles we fix the bag. To do this, we wrap the handles around the ring from the bag.

Rigid large bags are simply folded in half or three. This will be the solution to the problem of how to fold plastic bags into a box. Any of these methods of folding cellophane allows you to identify torn, dirty or old bags during the folding process and dispose of them.

How you can use plastic bags.

It is not only possible, but also necessary to give a second life to cellophane bags (do we keep them for a reason?). Plastic bags can be used for:

• cleaning for pets while walking on the street. When going out for a walk with your four-legged pets, put a few plastic bags in your pocket to use as gloves when cleaning up after the animal.
• work on the garden plot. Putting such a plastic bag on your palm, you can safely poke around in the ground without fear of getting your hands dirty.
• garbage. Do not buy special trash bags, but use used bags in your home.
• protect brushes from drying out. After working with paints and varnishes, wrap the brush in a bag so that it does not dry out.
• sending the parcel by mail. Wrap the parcel or parcel post in bags, then the recipient will receive the item or thing you sent safe and sound.
• warming plants in the off-season. Many people know why spring frosts are dangerous. Therefore, you can cover the seedlings with bags at night. A kind of mini-greenhouse will protect young sensitive plants.
• knitting bags and rugs. Colored polyethylene rugs will be appropriate in the hallway. And in a plastic bag, you can not only store old bags, but also go with it to the grocery store.
• repeat purchases. Everything is clear here.
• visits to medical institutions. Plastic bags can be used instead of shoe covers. Putting bags on your shoes, save on shoe covers. You still have to throw it out, and then.

What can replace plastic bags.

You can reduce the amount of cellophane in the kitchen and in the house by using instead of bags:

• paper bags.
• translucent bags sewn from tulle.
• large shopping bags made from environmentally friendly materials. These bags are sold in shops and supermarkets near the checkout.
• foil. It is much more convenient to wrap sandwiches and other foods in foil.
• cling film. Similar to the previous point.

As practice shows, you can't do without plastic bags, but it is possible to reduce the amount of polyethylene used and tidy up your kitchen.

Video on how to conveniently store packages

Due to its versatility, low cost and durability - plastic has found its application in all spheres of life. Today, plastic is the most common man-made material on the planet. He's also first on the trash list. The amount of plastic waste on the planet is reaching epidemic proportions. Many scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs began to pay attention to this problem.

Industrial machines for recycling (recycling) plastics are usually very expensive and quite complex in design. And let's face it, industrial plastic recycling doesn't pay off. Because the production cycle is “ raw material - plastic product"Much shorter and cheaper than -" waste - sorting - plastic product - recycling - cleaning - raw materials - plastic product". That is why not all cities of the world have factories for processing plastic waste. And their mass appearance is not expected in the near future.

It turns out that the niche plastic recycling at home open. And it is waiting for those who monetize it from any side. And the common man doesn't need much. After all, the beauty of this niche is that waste plastic, in fact - garbage, lies under everyone's feet and is not needed by anyone. That is, great and durable material is free! It remains to pick up, process, in one form or another, and reuse. And if you don't like the result - rework it again!

Project " Precious Plastic»Helps all consumers give new life to plastic waste. He invites everyone to recycle plastic on their own using automatic machines, drawings of which are freely distributed on the Internet.

This project was developed by a Dutch designer Dave Hakkens, shows what can be done to help stop the "plastic plague" in the environment.

Dave, concerned with the problem of plastic waste, found on the Internet blueprints for several devices that allow in any way to recycle plastic at home. Having collected the first samples, improved them, developed a modular concept of future devices, Hackens created an international project “ Precious Plastic". In which it invites everyone to assemble and use four simple but effective plastic recycling machines.

The use of devices allows you to extend the service life of various plastic household items, simply by processing them into others. Unnecessary to necessary. Crockery, artificial rattan, various interior elements - this is a small list of items that can be made from household plastic waste using these machines.

Four devices, depending on the type and quality of plastic, allow you to process it in different ways:

• Schroeder or a shredder - a device for shredding plastic waste into crumbs for subsequent processing - heating;
• Extruder or squeezer - a device that squeezes out a heated plastic mass in the form of a rope or tape. That is, an artificial rattan or a consumable for a 3D printer is obtained.
• Injector or an injector - heats polymer chips to a plastic mass and injects it into the desired shape;
• Press - plastic crumb under the influence of pressure and high temperature is pressed into various new objects.

The most amazing thing about the project “ Precious Plastic»What such unique cars are given out for free. More precisely, the drawings of the device and instructions for their assembly are available to everyone (there will be video instructions just below). All that remains is to collect cars and start making money on them.

How to make money on plastic recycling at home? Recycling plastics and polymers at home!

At first... By recycling waste plastic into the right plastic products and selling them as unique handmade items. This is the simplest and most affordable solution.

Secondly... Whole creative laboratories and coworking spaces are opening up on the basis of Hackens machines. Where anyone can come with their plastic waste, pay money, and work on the machines.

Thirdly... Assistance in the assembly and implementation of devices. Not everyone can master the drawings of devices. And, even more so, collect them. But, they are ready to buy assembled similar machines. Why not take advantage of this? Moreover, the finished devices are quite expensive. The assembly, if everything is available, will take no more than a month for any handy guy in the garage.

Fourth... You definitely have your own ideas!

Video # 1: how to assemble a plastic shredder

Video number 2: how to assemble an extruder for plastic recycling

Video # 3: how to assemble an injector for plastic recycling

Video number 4: how to assemble a press for plastic processing

So, having studied the video, you can start assembling the devices. For more convenient work, we suggest that you study the drawings on the official website of the project. In English.

If the devices are too complex, you can look at an easy way to recycle plastic bottles at home.

Bonus: the simplest device for cutting plastic bottles

A new project appeared on Kickstarter “ Plastic bottle cutter"Which gives consumers the ability to reuse plastic bottles.

The simplest device (and you will see this by seeing the photo below) allows you to turn an ordinary plastic bottle into a plastic thread of various thicknesses, which you can use at your own discretion.

This thread can be used to weave a variety of items - from small baskets to elegant pieces of furniture.

In general, disposable plastic bottles are a valuable resource due to the highest quality plastics used in their manufacture. But, this advantage is not taken into account by most people and the bottles are simply thrown away. The rate of bottle throwing is growing every day. Thus, the problem of effective reuse and recycling of these materials is simply necessary and necessary. This will reduce the scale of environmental pollution.

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What is the danger of a dismissive attitude towards containers and how important is the recycling of polyethylene for the environment? In our life, polyethylene is present as a packaging container, but it is widespread, despite its narrow specialization, everywhere. Almost every home has a bag of bags, which we collect from the principles of economy. But the trouble is, it turns out that the better the raw materials, the more difficult it is to utilize and the longer the period of its decomposition.

Relevance of processing

Recycling of polyethylene raw materials is an important cost item for the city, since the material is characterized by incredible stability. He is not afraid of water, alkali, salt solutions. Polyethylene is not afraid even of organic and inorganic acids. It can be noted that these are not bad qualities, but they can result in a number of problems.

First of all, the environmental situation raises concerns - according to rough estimates, polyethylene decomposition takes up to 300 years. If a plain plastic bag ends up in a landfill as a whole household waste, then it greatly complicates the processing process. Over time, this package undergoes thermal aging, gradually decomposing under the influence sun rays, heat and oxygen. In the course of destruction, a harmless package releases harmful chemical substances into soil and water.

Alas, it is not possible to limit the production of plastics and polyethylene, but it is possible to rationally organize the entire workflow. Waste polyethylene is essentially a versatile material. Recycling of polyethylene, without exaggeration, can be called new life raw materials. A person is required to create and improve methods for collecting and processing raw materials in order to make the process cyclical. Polyethylene waste can very well become everyday objects.

Processing plants

In recent years, the number of organizations processing this raw material has been steadily growing. And the point is not only in environmental problems, but also in the prospects for the development of such a business. Polyethylene can be an excellent base for creating plastic panels, garbage containers, all kinds of household containers. A certain scope for the imagination of entrepreneurs opens up, although, of course, recycled polyethylene products assume some limitations.

The recycling of film and bags does not cause any difficulties, since the structure of the materials used does not change at most, but the quality of the recycled raw materials decreases, and, accordingly, the scope of further application narrows.

Features of the workflow

There are several cycles of processing plastic bags and films. The first cycle has almost no effect on reducing the consumer characteristics of new products. But each subsequent cycle makes its own "negative contribution", making the raw materials suitable only for the production of special materials.

According to the existing technologies, six stages of polyethylene waste processing can be distinguished:

1. First comes the collection of raw materials: films, bottles, and other household waste. Waste sorting can be done manually or mechanically. If household waste during collection is separated into waste paper, glass, paper, PET, then the amount of waste that needs to be recycled can be reduced by a third.
2. The collected raw materials are sent to washing machines. This step is necessary in order to get rid of dirt, foreign objects and paper. If the raw material is handed over directly to the collection points, then the receiver can check the condition of the film, bottles, waste paper in order to raise or lower the price offered for them.
3. Further, the collected raw materials are crushed, for which crushing plants are used.
4. In case moisture or accidental solid impurities remain in the raw materials, the process is processed in a centrifuge.
5. Now the material is sent to the drying chamber, where it is also heat treated.
6. The work is completed and the material is ready for recycling. It can be used to make universal products: plastic wrap, bags, packaging containers, pipes.

Work in detail

And now let's try to take a closer look at the process of processing polyethylene into granules, because before that the process was considered only schematically. Of course, the proper equipment is required to work.

Well-established work is possible if:

• washing machine
• crushing plant
• centrifuges
• drying plant
• agglomerator
• granulator
• extruder

In production, the presence of a conveyor or pneumatic conveyor will be relevant, which will fully automate the process.

At home, it is almost impossible to establish an uninterrupted process of obtaining recycled polyethylene, but you can lay the foundation for a promising business. First of all, the process of collecting raw materials can be announced, since without it, such work is in principle impossible. Manual sorting of household waste is cheaper than mechanical sorting, but you have to start with a small amount of raw materials used.

Self-processing of the film allows you to obtain a dense waterproof fabric with a waterproofing function. The process of work itself is simple - a piece of film must be laid between two parts of the fabric and ironed with an electric iron. The output is a three-layer composite material, as the film melts and penetrates the layers of the fabric. With your own hand, you can get a composite material based on a film, fabric and aluminum foil. The working algorithm is the same except for the fact that one layer of fabric is replaced with foil. Film, fabric and foil material is an excellent heat insulator. With the help of cross-linked polyethylene, many people equip a warm floor in the house.

For greater benefit

Agglomerator is a device capable of processing film and bottles. Due to the temperature effect, an agglomerate is obtained - baked lumps from former bottles and film. The agglomerate can be realized already at this stage, or go further and process it into granules.

The polyethylene granulator allows you to increase the company's income from the collection and sale of secondary raw materials. The result is a product that technically outperforms its “powdery or scaly fellows in the shop” due to its small volume (and, accordingly, lower costs for packaging and transportation), high flowability, minimization of losses and dust formation, and a lower risk of destruction and photoaging.

Why does an enterprise need an extruder? It is just with its help that you can get a unique material - low pressure polyethylene. The extruder comes into operation after the agglomerator has its say and turns the result of collection and processing into slurry. Now the molten mass of plastic goes through the forming hole, where it melts and creates threads that are cooled under water and cut into small pieces. At the exit, HDPE granule is ready.

At low pressure

Low pressure polyethylene is widely used all over the world. It is an organic compound that resembles white wax. Recycled low pressure polyethylene is obtained by collecting and recycling bottles and pipes.

This material is not afraid of frost or chemicals. It does not feel shocks and is not a current conductor. It should be added that this material is waterproof and does not react with alkalis, acids and salt solutions. HDPE decomposes under the action of nitric acid (50%), chlorine and fluorine.

How this product can come in handy

1. Accessories for swimming pools are made on the basis of HDPE.
2. It is used in the process of 3D printers.
3. Such material is relevant for work under chemical and electrical conditions.
4. HDPE is good for creating anti-corrosion coating, grocery containers, bottles, and collecting plumbing connections.
5. In sports institutions, HDPE is used for the production of gymnastic hoops.
6. In restaurants, HDPE is a future plastic bag, plastic set or container. The HDPE bag rustles and wrinkles, so it is used for so-called "T-shirts".
7. Pyrotechnic manufacturers use HDPE to make their work more spectacular.

Outcome

The processing of polyethylene raw materials into granules makes it possible to significantly reduce the amount of waste in city dumps. Remember that polyethylene and plastic are almost non-degradable. Meanwhile, a successful business can be made on the basis of PET. Do not throw away what may come in handy later. Even a simple bag, bottle, film can be useful for business.

Good day, brains! Recycling of plastics is a pressing issue and this brain leadership is one of the answers to it.

Plastic bags are so widespread that they have become one of the elements of littering our space, and the planet as a whole. But not everything is so sad, because you can do it yourself at home, recycle them into sheets of plastic useful for your homemade products.

Step 1: get to know the process

Step 2: materials and tools

• Plastic bags (HDPE)
• Baking parchment
• Baking tray
• Scissors
• Oven

Step 3: preparing packages

To begin with, we save up a large number of bags, I have accumulated about 64 pieces, and as we accumulate, we rinse and dry them.

It should be noted that for the process described in this brain leadership, HDPE bags are needed, LDPE low density polyethylene will work, but it has more low temperature melting. Coloring and logos on the bags do not matter, the main thing is the uniformity of the material, as indicated by the marking.

Step 4: slicing packages

We cut dry and clean bags: we cut off the handles and the bottom, thereby we get polyethylene rings, which we also cut along one side. I decided not to use the sides of the logo bag, so I cut them off to get a solid color brain plastic.

Step 5: Splicing 4 packets

We begin the process of soldering the polyethylene sheets obtained earlier by cutting the bags. To do this, tear off a piece of parchment for baking a little more than plastic sheets and spread it on a heat-resistant surface, for example, on plywood or OSB. Put a stack of 4 sheets of polyethylene on the parchment, and cover it with another piece of parchment on top.

Turn on the iron and set it on average temperature, and when it warms up, we begin to iron a stack of polyethylene sheets from the middle to the edges. Well, we iron the sheets over the entire surface, then remove the top parchment and see how the sheets melted. If not very good, then again cover them with parchment and iron them, but for more high temperature... If holes are formed in the fused sheets, then the temperature of the iron is too high and should be reduced.

Having selected the desired temperature, we iron the remaining bags in the same way, thereby making four-layer sheets, which we will later combine into thicker ones.

Step 6: soldering thicker sheets

Now you need to solder the four-layer polyethylene sheets into thicker ones. By brain test and mistakes, I came to the conclusion that four-layer sheets are the most optimal. Fewer layers melt to form holes, and more layers are more difficult to solder.

Therefore, we take two four-layer sheets, place them between the sheets of parchment and iron them at a higher temperature, also from the middle to the edges. To make the process run better, we press the iron when soldering. As a result, we already get eight-layer polyethylene sheets.

In order to make sheets with a large number of layers, then on the eight-layer polyethylene we apply a four-layer one and iron it, etc. to the desired thickness of the plastic briquette. In this case, it is recommended to alternate the back and front sides for soldering, that is, turn it over after the next soldering, thereby avoiding deformation of the briquettes.

From four-layer sheets, you can sew light raincoats and bags, from eight-layer coats or a bag. 12-ply sheets and more are suitable for creating backpacks and laptop bags. 24-layer polyethylene can be used to create models and crafts, and 64-layer for containers and more durable products.

Step 7: bake the polyethylene

To improve the quality of your multi-layer sheets, because sometimes they don't stick well or bubble, you can bake them in the oven. To do this, you need a baking sheet, or preferably two, the same parchment and a few bricks.

We spread parchment on one baking sheet, lay a polyethylene multilayer on it brain briquette, on top of the polyethylene, another sheet of parchment and another baking sheet, on which we place a brick or two for weight.

We put the resulting structure in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. After the specified time, we take it out and let it cool without removing the bricks to avoid deformation.

When the structure has cooled to room temperature, remove the bricks, take out the baked polyethylene and check its edge. If it is completely soldered, integral, then the process was successful, if it is heterogeneous, there are no soldered places, then the process may have to be repeated at a higher temperature, up to 230 degrees.

Step 8: trim the edges

In the process of soldering, the edges of the polyethylene briquettes have lost their rectilinear shape, so we take scissors in our hands and give them the desired rectangular shape.

Step 9: Application

Now that the plastic bags are recycled, turn on brain-making and create something useful from briquettes. By the way, this recycled polyethylene can be used for vacuum forming and even for making glue gun rods.
Good luck with your creativity and clean space around you!

Millions of plastic bags are used and discarded in Moscow every year. It turns out that some of them are being successfully recycled. Today we will go to such an enterprise and learn how polyethylene is prepared for reuse.

The Moscow Region company "Expert Vtor" does not process all types of plastic bags, but only film, bags, bags, rejects of the production of stretch films (the so-called shrink film) and LDPE.

LDPE is high density polyethylene or, as it is also called, low density polyethylene. Waste LDPE can be formed during the direct production of polyethylene film. There is a lot of waste in stores (packaging of bottles, boxes, boxes), in glass factories (from packaging of bottles, cans), in distilleries and breweries (from packaging of containers or finished products).

Stretch wrap is a linear high pressure polyethylene (HDPE). It can stretch a lot. Due to this property, as well as increased resistance to punctures and tears, stretch films are used for packaging various goods, in particular on pallets (pallets). Waste stretch film is mainly generated and accumulated in warehouses of any value, at customs terminals, in logistics centers, etc.

Popular T-shirt bags made of HDPE (low pressure polyethylene) and "biodegradable" bags, which can be found, for example, in "Azbuka Vkusa", are not recycled by the company. Polypropylene film, PVC film, bubble wrap, polyamide film, multilayer LDPE + PP, LDPE + PA films, as well as double-sided two-color films are also not suitable. Also, films contaminated with oils, fats, food waste and pesticides are not accepted.

The collected polyethylene goes to the warehouse first. It can store up to 100 tons of film waste, naturally in a pressed form. At the first stage, raw materials are carefully sorted. Stretch is separated from LDPE, types of films that are not processed by the enterprise are discarded.

After sorting, packages of a certain color are put into a crusher. In it, on V-shaped knives (this type is also called "dovetail"), the film is crushed to uniform particles. The knives are driven by an electric motor.

From the crusher, through a pneumatic conveyor, the so-called “crushed” enters the sink. In it, with the addition of special cleaning solutions, the "crushed" is cleaned of dust and other non-polyethylene inclusions.

The next stage of processing is agglomeration. The so-called "cooking" takes place in it. The operator loads clean “crushed” into the working chamber through the loading window.

The raw material along the guides falls on the rotating rotor, is crushed with knives and, due to friction against the body, is heated to the plasticization temperature among themselves. In this case, the entire volume of the loaded raw material becomes similar to a mushy mass.

When the material becomes homogeneous, "shock" water is added to it, as a result of which the material is sharply cooled and sintered into separate small balls of irregular shape. For some more time, the agglomerate is dried at natural ambient temperature and unloaded into prepared containers to go to the final stage. The cooking process itself lasts from 5 to 10 minutes.

The granulation process can be compared to rolling minced meat through a meat grinder. The agglomerate, which we received at the previous stage, is loaded into the extruder hopper.

It is so called because the production of granules is based on the extrusion method - forcing the molten mass through a forming hole.

In general, the "minced meat" from the cooked bags is melted under the influence of the heaters and the pressure created by the rotating auger. The polymer melt is forced through a filter into a rotating extruder head. The so-called threads are already coming out of it. For cooling, they are let through a water sleeve, and then into knives, where they are cut into homogeneous granules.

Granules are packed in clean polypropylene bags, about 50 kg each. No special storage conditions are required, but it is desirable that it be a dry place. The resulting granules, depending on the composition and color, are sold. Natural-colored stretch granules are used for the production of secondary stretch.

Natural-colored LDPE granules are used for the production of secondary shrinkable or technical films. Colored LDPE granules are mainly used for the production of garbage bags.

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