{"id":538,"date":"2017-09-29T16:42:59","date_gmt":"2017-09-29T16:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.plastikcity.co.uk\/blog\/?p=538"},"modified":"2024-01-29T15:15:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T15:15:49","slug":"the-necessity-of-a-global-strategy-for-plastics-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.plastikcity.co.uk\/blog\/the-necessity-of-a-global-strategy-for-plastics-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"The Necessity of a Global Strategy for Plastics Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since 1950, it is estimated that 8.3 million metric tonnes of virgin plastics have been produced.\u00a0 Of this, 6.3 million metric tonnes has become waste, with 9% being recycled and 12% incinerated.\u00a0 This leaves 79% that is accumulated in landfills or the natural environment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The report written by Geyer, Jambeck and Kara Lavender Law<\/strong><\/a> is concerning with a prediction of 12 million metric tonnes of plastic being in landfill or the natural environment by 2050.<\/p>\n

In the UK, organisations such as The British Plastics Federation (BPF)<\/strong><\/a> identify sustainability as being key to the future growth of the plastics sector.\u00a0 They report that the UK uses over 5 million tonnes of plastic each year of which an estimated 29% is currently being recovered or recycled.\u00a0 The UK has a plastics recycling target of 57% by 2020 and the BPF and Plastics Europe with the support of WRAP are implementing the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP)<\/strong><\/a> to help meet this target.\u00a0 However, increasing the amount of plastic being recovered or recycled by 28% in 3 years appears to be exceptionally challenging and maybe unreachable.<\/p>\n

The application of plastics technology continues to grow, with the UK launching a new plastic \u00a310 note in September 2017<\/strong>.\u00a0 And this is because plastics technology produces such versatile and resilient products, properties that make it equally difficult to manage once it has been used and becomes waste.<\/p>\n

Designing plastic products to enable easy reuse and recycling appears to be the key.\u00a0 However, often the aesthetic appearance of a plastic packaging product takes precedence over the post-use waste functionality.<\/p>\n

As an equipment supplier, we understand the difficulties of recycling plastics.\u00a0 Even though we can remove the metal contamination with Magnetic Separators<\/strong><\/a>, Eddy Current Separators<\/strong><\/a>, and Metal Detectors<\/strong><\/a>, a substantial amount of further processing is required with colour and plastic type separation is often required.\u00a0 We will be exhibiting at Interplas 2017 (NEC, Birmingam, UK 26th – 28th September)<\/strong><\/a>, the UK’s premier show for the plastics sector, and it will be interesting to see and hear the ideas and thoughts of the industry.<\/p>\n

Designers of plastic products, especially packaging, need to be creative and give reuse and recycling a higher priority during the concept phase.\u00a0 With the prediction of an ever-increasing production of plastic, a workable environmental strategy has never been more important.<\/p>\n

For further information on separating metal from plastics during the production of the virgin product<\/strong><\/a> or during the recycling process<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0please contact the Bunting team\u00a0on:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0sales@buntingeurope.com
\n<\/a>\u00a0 –\u00a0 Call us on +44 1442 875081
\n–\u00a0\u00a0Send an enquiry via our website<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Bunting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since 1950, it is estimated that 8.3 million metric tonnes of virgin plastics have been produced.\u00a0 Of this, 6.3 million metric tonnes has become waste, with 9% being recycled and 12% incinerated.\u00a0 This leaves 79% that is accumulated in landfills or the natural environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101012,"featured_media":539,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[233,232,219,234,235,236,81],"class_list":["post-538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plastikcity-blogs","tag-bunting-magnetics","tag-environment","tag-interplas","tag-metal-detectors","tag-metal-separation","tag-plastic-recycling","tag-recycling","post-preview"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t