Is it bad to use “single use plastics” vs “eco friendly plastics” if I’m planning on recycling it anyway (mostly plastic bottles)?
In: Other
**No Plastic Bottles are Recyclable** in practice.
In theory, they can be shreaded and turned into fill fibers. However, the worldwide demand for this kind of plastic bottle recycling can be one with one plant in a small city.
All those plastic bottles you throw in the recycle bin end up in a landfill, often a foreign landfill where many of them wash into the ocean. 100% of the plastic in the bottles you buy is virgin plastic, it’s a blow-molding industry requirement.
If you want recyclable bottles, buy glass, or aluminum. These are recyclable materials.
If your intention is to recycle, not _really_. Most eco-friendly plastics are plastics that biodegrade, so if you recycle then that advantage is gone. Some are just made of recycled materials, which would be the exception – buying recycled does help some.
The best thing to do is not use disposable plastic _at all_. Rather than plastic bottles, get a reusable bottle instead.
There is no simple answer.
Many “eco-friendly” plastics can only be composted in industrial facilities; tossing them on the compost heap is a waste of time. Many places that take recycling end up just dumping that stuff in a landfill, usually because it’s cheaper. Even places that do recycle often end up tossing out entire batches of recycling because they get contaminated with something or other.
In terms of plastic bottles, if your goal is to help the environment, your best bet by FAR is to get a reusable bottle, even a plastic one.
Recycling is the last step. The first 2 steps are Reduce, Reuse. Reduce the amount of single use items you use, Reuse items as many times as you can if possible, then Recycle.
Latest Answers