Approximately 6 Million Tonnes of Plastic Waste goes un-recycled every year in India.
Over the past decade we have produced and consumed more plastic than the entire century. India alone produces 40,000 Tonnes of Plastic everyday of which only 60% gets recycled. Even with these statistics India outperforms Japan, Europe, US as mentioned in a year long study by scientists from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – National Chemical Laboratory (NCL).
While the rate of recycling plastic is higher than ever, when a survey was conducted, 9 out of 10 people said that they would recycle plastic waste more if it was easier and if they were more aware about recycling/reusing practices.
Recently, up-cycling of plastic has become a very popular way adopted by individuals in urban as well as rural areas to contribute in the recycling/reusing of plastic waste.
What follows are some interesting Plastic Recycling Facts:
Plastic Recycling Fact #1
- In India, 70% of plastic waste is recycled at Registered Offices, 20% by the Unorganized Sector and 10% is reused at Home.
Plastic Recycling Fact #2
- 50% of the Plastic is single use or use and throw plastic.
Plastic Recycling Fact #3
- Out of all the plastic bottles produced only 27% are recycled.
Plastic Recycling Fact #4
- When compared to incinerating plastic waste, recycling plastic saves up to 2x as much energy.
Plastic Recycling Fact #5
- When not recycled, almost 0.6 Million Tonnes of India’s Plastic Waste is disposed off in the oceans. This puts India among the Top 20 countries that dump maximum plastic in the oceans.
Plastic Recycling Fact #6
- The process of recycling and reusing plastic waste creates over 6x as many jobs as incineration and landfills.
Plastic Recycling Fact #7
- 1 Ton of Recycled Plastic saves equivalent to 5774 KWh of Electricity.
Plastic Recycling Fact #8
- 1 Ton of Recycled Plastic saves equivalent to 3114 Liters of Oil.
Plastic Recycling Fact #9
- 1 Ton of Recycled Plastic saves energy equivalent to 98 Million BTU’s.
Plastic Recycling Fact #10
- 1 Ton of Recycled Plastic saves equivalent to 25 m3 of Landfill Space.
Plastic Recycling Fact #11
- 1 Ton of Recycled Plastic saves equivalent to approximately 3,000 L of Water.
Plastic Recycling Fact #12
- 1 Ton of Recycled Plastic saves equivalent to approximately 7500 L of Gasoline.
Plastic Recycling Fact #13
- It consumes 66% less energy to produce new plastic from recycled materials instead of raw materials.
Plastic Recycling Fact #14
- There are over 7 types of plastics available today. Out of these 7, PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) & HDPE (High-Density PolyEthylene) are most easily recyclable.
Plastic Recycling Fact #15
- A recycled plastic product can be back on the shelves again within a month.
Plastic Recycling Fact #16
- Approximately 5-6 2L PET Bottles are recycled in 1 ft2 of Carpet.
Plastic Recycling Fact #17
- Recycling 1 Plastic Bottle saves 60Wh of energy.
Plastic Recycling Fact #18
- The decomposition of
- 1 Plastic Bag takes 200-1000 years
- 1 Foamed Plastic Cup takes 50-100 years
- 1 Plastic Container takes 50-80 years
- 1 Plastic Bottle takes 500 years
Plastic Recycling Fact #19
- PET Plastic can be recycled and reused in the following sectors:
- Clothing & Textiles
- Toys & Stuffed Animals
- Fiber Fillings for Sporting Equipment
- Plastic Stationary
Plastic Recycling Fact #20
- Recycled Plastic is recognized as a widely usable raw material in the construction industry in areas for damp proofing, ducting, flooring, etc.
Plastic Recycling Fact #21
- Materials like glass and aluminium can be recycled in to the same material repeatedly. Unlike these materials, on recycling different types of plastics will degrade. Also some kinds of plastics are difficult to recycle and are manufactured for longer life span.
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