Ban plastics Archives - Zureli

Search for any green Service

Find green products from around the world in one place

Window cleaning

Singapore Safety Glass

Table Salt in Plastic Recycling

Posted on January 23, 2024 by dishanth

As far back as 6050 BC, salt has been used for various purposes, including religious offerings and valuable trades. The word “salary” was derived from the word salt because it was highly valued, and production was legally restricted in ancient times, so it was historically used as a method of trade and currency.

Table salt is an important and inexpensive kitchen staple today and is used for various uses, including seasoning, food preservation, food texture, cleaning, and boiling water. We even use salt in healthcare (such as for cleaning wounds) and for deicing roads and sidewalks. But now table salt is entering a new domain: plastic recycling.

Researchers from Michigan State University are proving that salt in plastic recycling has the properties to outperform much more expensive materials that are being explored to help recycle plastics. The MSU team uses pyrolysis to break down the plastics into a mixture of simpler carbon-based compounds, including gas, liquid oil, and solid wax. Pyrolysis is the process of heating an organic material in the absence of oxygen.

One of the challenges of plastic recycling has always been an undesirable wax byproduct, which accounts for over half of the pyrolysis output. The wax obtained from the pyrolysis of waste plastic is generally regarded as a low-value product that requires further treatment in a refinery for it to be considered valuable as chemicals, diesel, petroleum, and gasoline.

Salt in plastic recycling is used as a catalyst to pyrolyze polyolefins (the family of thermoplastics that include polyethylene and polypropylene); the MSU team produced mostly liquid oil that contains hydrocarbon molecules similar to what is found in diesel fuel, which is not suitable for producing new polymers. There was no undesirable wax; over 50% is generally seen when platinum on carbon or aluminum is used as a catalyst. In this experiment, the result was 86% liquid form and 14% gas.

Using salt in plastic recycling as a catalyst also means the salt can be reused simply by washing the liquid oil with water. The team also found that table salt helped in the pyrolisis of metalized plastic films commonly used in food packaging, such as potato chip bags, which currently aren’t being recycled.

Because table salt is relatively inexpensive, using salt in plastic recycling could drastically reduce the costs associated with these processes. The researchers found that table salt can offer a transformative approach toward an inexpensive (4 cents per kg) and efficient pyrolysis methodology for converting mixed plastics waste to useful hydrocarbon products.

The use of table salt in plastic recycling is a relatively new phenomenon. Traditionally, salt has not been used directly in plastic recycling processes. It has been used indirectly in cleaning and preparing plastic items. It can be used as an abrasive agent to help scrub any residues. It is also used to scrub off adhesive labels from plastic containers.

In recycling facilities, electrostatic separation processes are used to separate different types of plastic based on their electrostatic charges. Salt can affect the conductivity of plastics and help in the separation. Furthermore, the traditional recycling process typically involves mechanical methods such as shredding, melting, and extruding rather than chemical reactions that involve salt. This study can drastically change the way plastic is recycled.

The salt in plastic recycling study from Michigan State University is still in its initial phases. Still, if it catches on, it could be an important movement towards how we recycle plastics and can result in more plastic being recycled and repurposed. It’s fascinating that something so simple and abundant, like table salt, can be used to help tackle one of the world’s most pressing issues.

Source Happy Eco News

ECONYL Sustainable Nylon Alternative

Posted on November 14, 2023 by dishanth

Nylon is the stretchy material found in underwear, hosiery, activewear, swimwear, and even umbrellas. It was the first fabric to be made in a laboratory. Nylon is made out of crude oil and is very energy-intensive to produce. Producing nylon creates nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Large amounts of water are needed to cool the fibres along with lubricants, which can become a source of contamination. Moreover, nylon is not biodegradable. If it makes its way into the oceans, it will degrade to thin fibres and small particles that wildlife can digest.

Many designers and fashion brands want to use a sustainable nylon alternative in their garments, but it is difficult to find them. One new sustainable nylon alternative is called ECONYL, a trademark of the Italian plastics company Aquafil. Sustainable nylon alternative ECONYL is made up of nylon waste, including fishing nets, fabric scraps, carpet flooring, and industrial plastic. The nylon waste is recovered and converted into new yarn. This regenerated nylon can be recycled, recreated, and remoulded repeatedly. ECONYL is chemically identical to nylon 6, which means it has the same characteristics as traditional nylon and can be used in the same ways.

The ECONYL Regenerative System happens in four steps.

They rescue waste like fishing nets, fabric scraps, and industrial plastic from all over the world. The waste is sorted and cleaned to recover all of the nylon possible.

Through radical regeneration and purification, the recovered nylon is recycled back to its original purity, allowing the quality of ECONYL to reflect that of fossil-based nylon.

The recycled nylon is processed into new yarns and polymers for fashion and industrial brands.

These brands can use ECONYL to create new products. Once the products containing ECONYL are no longer useful to customers, they can return and be regenerated again.

According to the ECONYL website, for every 10,000 tons of ECONYL raw material produced, they can save 70,000 barrels of cruise oils and over 65,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Switching to sustainable nylon alternative ECONYL also reduces the global warming impact of nylon by up to 90% compared with the material from oil.

Using abandoned fishing nets to make ECONYL helps to clean up the oceans and helps reduce the risk of marine animals getting entangled by abandoned nets. ECNOYL has teamed up with many take-back organizations to collect the materials used in creating their regenerative nylon. They have two carpet facilities in the US where they collect nylon 6. They also work with the Healthy Seas Foundation to collect recovered fishing nets.

ECONYL has teamed up with over 100 brands (many are swimwear and activewear brands) to include this sustainable nylon alternative in their products. Gucci, for example, launched its own recycling program to convert textile scraps into new ECONYL yarn. Gucci has also used ECONYL to create sustainable nylon alternative handbags. In 2023, Stella McCartney launched its first-ever close-the-loop garment, a parka made from ECONYL that is designed to be returned and regenerated into new yarn at its end-of-life. Adidas has been known to incorporate ECONYL into some of their swimwear designs.

We are also seeing ECONYL used in interior brands like Pottery Barn to make rugs and car brands like BMW and Mercedez-Benz to produce their car floor mats. BMW also uses ECONYL in various interior trims, such as seat covers, door panels, and dashboard components.

As more brands begin to use ECONYL in their designs, we may eventually see a phase-out of traditional, fossil-fuel nylon. This sustainable switch will help the design and fashion industries become greener, our oceans cleaner, and help to create bigger importance on recycling and regenerating used materials.

Source Happy Eco News

The Ban on Plastic Water Bottles at LAX

Posted on September 5, 2023 by dishanth

Did you know that over 481 billion plastic bottles are used worldwide every year? Americans purchase, on average, 50 billion water bottles per year. This averages about 13 bottles per month for every person. The US, China and Indonesia are the largest consumers of plastic water bottles. Purchasing plastic water bottles in these countries buying, plastic water bottles are seen as a luxury whereby the water is regarded as “healthier” or has a better taste. Countries in the Global South together represent roughly 60 percent of the market. These countries are almost dependent on plastic water bottles due to the lack of reliable access to safe tap water.

The issues surrounding the overconsumption of plastic water bottles include the fact that the groundwater extracted to help fill the billions of plastic bottles a year poses a potential threat to drinking water resources. Moreover, the industry’s growth helps distract attention and resources from funding the public water infrastructure needed in many countries. Using plastic water bottles harms the planet because most plastic gets thrown into landfills. In fact, only 9 percent of the plastic from these bottles is recycled, which is only getting lower due to China no longer accepting US plastics.

Despite the adverse effects plastic, especially plastic water bottles, have on the planet, there is no sign of these sales slowing down. Experts are saying that plastic water bottle sales are expected to rise by 2030.

To reduce the use of plastic water bottles, at least in the US, the Los Angeles Airport (also commonly known as LAX) is banning the sale of these single-use plastic water bottles. Over 9 million plastic water bottles were sold at LAX alone in 2019, which averages more than 24 000 bottles a day. The LAX plastic water bottle ban went into effect on June 30, 2023.

The LAX plastic water bottle ban includes concessionaires, restaurants, lounges, vending machines and events happening at the airport. Only single-use water bottles made from recyclable aluminium, cartons or glass may be sold at the airport. The airport encourages visitors to bring their own reusable water bottles and use the water bottle refill stations located in the various terminals. The LAX plastic water bottle ban does not include other beverages sold in plastic bottles or bottled water from flight services on aircraft. This is something that might change in the coming years.

This new policy is part of the Los Angeles World Airports (including LAX and Van Nuys Airports) Sustainability Action Plan, which targets a zero-waste future. The plan is to make these airports zero waste by 2045. The LAX plastic water bottle ban is only the second airport in the world to ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles and follows San Francisco International Airport, which placed its ban in 2019. In 2021, San Francisco extended the ban to include other types of beverages.

The LAX plastic water bottle ban is only part of a bigger push for sustainability. Los Angeles World Airport has a long history of committing to environmental sustainability. In the early 1990s, it introduced waste diversion and recycling programs at its airports and in 2007, it adopted one of the first sustainability plans for any airport in the nation. Reducing waste and eliminating single-use plastics are important goals for the Los Angeles World Airports and the City of Los Angeles. The LA City Green New Deal calls for all city departments to phase out single-use plastic by 2028 and achieved 100 percent waste diversion by 2050.

It’s impressive that no other airports have taken these initiatives yet. But we know that California is a leader in the sustainability movement. Hopefully, the LAX plastic water bottle ban will encourage other airports around the US and even across the globe to take part in this initiative and reduce dependence on plastic.

Source Happy Eco News

New Plastic Recycling Rules in Australia

Posted on July 4, 2023July 4, 2023 by dishanth

The Background to the Decision

Since industrialization, humans have had a remarkable capacity to alter and change our environment on a large scale.

To facilitate the growth of industry, we have allowed companies and other organizations to pollute the environment indiscriminately with no regard for the people, creatures, and nature that have been impacted.

In most regards, we think of pollution as the toxic air spewed from industrial plants into our atmosphere. While that is a problem, make no mistake about it, there are other problems that rapid industrialization has had on our world.

One of those is plastic pollution, the byproduct of cheap disposable products wrapped in material that the environment cannot break down easily.

While some moves by industry have seen eco-friendly plastics being used in mass production, these examples are few and far between, to the dismay of eco-friendly citizens worldwide.

In some countries, though, that appears to be shifting. Recently a coalition of governments has pushed through legislation for new plastic recycling rules in Australia, forcing companies to take serious measures to curb their output of non-biodegradable plastic products.

How do the new Plastic Recycling Rules in Australia work?

The decision to impose new plastic recycling rules in Australia was made at the first meeting of federal and state environmental ministers in Sydney on Friday, June 9th. Tanya Plibersek, the federal environment minister, said that the “historic agreement” meant packaging would be “subject to strict new government rules.”

The new rules include the following:

A ban on single-use plastic bags.
A ban on selling disposable coffee cups made from expanded polystyrene (EPS).
A requirement for all plastic packaging to be recyclable or compostable by 2025.
A requirement for all plastic packaging to be labelled with clear information about its recyclability.

According to a communique released after the agreement, the new plastic recycling rules in Australia would shift the country towards a more circular economy, with the rules addressing three specific areas: packaging design, outlawing harmful chemicals and plastics, and harmonizing curbside plastic recycling.

These decisions were made in the backdrop of the goals Australia has set in regard to plastic recycling. The Australian government has said that the new rules will cost the economy $1.1 billion over the next ten years, but the benefits of reducing plastic waste outweigh the costs.

As per the voluntary model that Australia has right now, only 18% of plastic is recycled in the country, far short of the 70% goal by 2025 that it has set.

Many have come out supporting this move; the Boomerang Alliance, a coalition of 55 environment groups, stated that this was the first “substantial and meaningful step” to address plastic waste in over 20 years.

It’s not just environmentalists that are lauding this decision, as major companies such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and Unilever have all come out in support.

For the People, by the People.

Serious change needs to be made in order to address the problem of plastic waste pollution worldwide. While it would be nice to believe that companies would willingly make the decision to cut back and recycle on their own, the reality is that it isn’t in their best interest to do so.

These programs cost money, and the incentive for shareholders is to increase profits no matter what. Government regulations will force these companies to accept the new way of doing things as simply a cost of doing business, thus ensuring that the people’s best interest is upheld as a primary objective.

Ultimately, this is what governments are for, and hopefully, with the example of these new plastic recycling rules in Australia, this action will spur other governments in other countries to make similar decisions.

Source Happy Eco News

Superglue can be turned into a recyclable, cheap, oil-free plastic alternative

Posted on April 13, 2023April 13, 2023 by dishanth

Our team used superglue as a starting material to develop a low-cost, recyclable and easily produced transparent plastic called polyethyl cyanoacrylate that has properties similar to those of plastics used for single-use products like cutlery, cups and packaging. Unlike most traditional plastics, this new plastic can be easily converted back to its starting materials, even when combined with unwashed municipal plastic waste.

To make a plastic from superglue, we first had to address the very issue that makes superglue so “super” – it sticks to just about everything. When superglue is used to stick something together, it is actually reacting with moisture in the air or on the surface of whatever is being glued together. This reaction forms molecular chains of repeating superglue units called polymers. The polymers made when gluing something together are short and don’t bind to each other well, which makes the glue brittle and easy to break.

While short polymers are good for glue, long polymers have more binding locations and result in stronger materials. Our team realized that if we could create longer versions of the same type of polymers made from superglue, we might be able to produce a strong plastic.

The way we make these plastics is relatively simple when compared with how other types of plastics are made – we simply mixed acetone and a little bit of an eco-friendly catalyst into store-bought superglue. Once this mixture dries, it produces a solid, glassy plastic made up of long polymer chains.

In our lab, we can easily produce up to 10 pounds of this material in a matter of days and turn it into usable products. By pouring the mixture into molds before it dries, we can make plastic objects in many shapes, like bowls and cutlery. We also discovered that heating up the plastic after it dries not only allowed us to shape the material into other products, but also strengthened the plastic.

Why it matters

When manufacturers need to produce a stiff plastic object – like cutlery, disposable razors, CD cases or plastic models – they often turn to polystyrene. Polystyrene is one of the most widely produced and least recycled types of plastic.

Because our superglue plastic has properties similar to polystyrene – it is light, durable, cheap and easy to mass-produce – it could replace polystyrene in many products. But there are two distinct benefits of our superglue-based material: It isn’t made from oil and is easy to recycle.

When our material is heated to 410 degrees Fahrenheit (210 C), the long molecule chains made of repeating superglue units break apart into their small, individual superglue molecules. At this point, the superglue molecules turn into a vapor that is easy to separate out from a mixed waste stream of other plastics, paper, food residue, aluminum and other refuse commonly found in recycling waste streams. Once you collect the superglue vapor, you can cool it and turn it right back into our new plastic with over 90% efficiency.

What’s next?

Since superglue is inexpensive and already produced on an industrial scale, we imagine our method of creating superglue plastics should be easy to scale up. Finally, the machinery used to make superglue could also be used to recycle the superglue plastics and could be simply adapted into existing industrial processes.

Finding a replacement for polystyrene is a big step toward sustainable plastics, but polystyrene is only one of thousands of plastics used today. Our team is now designing superglue-based plastics with properties that resemble other kinds of commodity plastics, while still being easy to produce and recycle.

Source World Economic Forum

Turning Ocean Legacy Plastic into Useful Items

Posted on March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 by dishanth

Plastic has made a significant impact on our lives; almost everything we use on a day-to-day basis is made out of plastic. And while some of these items can be recycled, most cannot due to the nature of many plastics. As a result, they end up in our landfills and our oceans. The rate of plastic entering our oceans is rapid and is predicted to rise 2.6 times by 2040 if it is not adequately monitored.

But what will happen to the legacy ocean plastic already in the oceans? One non-profit, the Ocean Legacy Foundation, has created a solution that uses the plastic that is recovered from ocean and beach cleanups and gives it an economic value that stimulates the plastic circular economy. The organization has created the first commercially available plastic pellet in North America called Ocean Legacy Plastic.

The pellet is made from 100% post-consumer plastics from recovered marine gear, including buoys, fishing ropes, oyster trays and other marine products. The sourced plastic materials are found along the Pacific Coast through Ocean Legacy depots, shoreline cleanups, and ocean recovery expeditions. All the materials collected are cleaned, segregated and processed using their own technology to ensure that the resins are high-quality for direct manufacturing applications.

Ocean Legacy Plastic Foundation has recently partnered with Full Circle Plastics from Nobelford, Alberta, to give these plastic items a new life and value. The plastic pellets are being used in commercial, industrial and residential construction. They are replacing traditional lumber in applications such as planter boxes, agriculture fence posts, outdoor decking construction, and a selection of outdoor furniture. Full Circle Plastics’ products require no maintenance, are waterproof, don’t rot and, importantly, keep plastic out of the environment, landfills and waterways.

The organization has also partnered with Origami Paddler to make paddleboards and kayaks, LUSH to make black product pots and containers, Whistler Performance Lubricants to make bio-based lubricant recyclable containers, and will soon see their plastic in certain models of Tideman Boats. Ocean Legacy Foundation also prides itself on the tracking and traceability of its plastics. Everything can be traced back to their shore cleanups, fishing and aquaculture operations and the ocean-recovered plastic waste.

The Ocean Legacy Plastic Foundation is committed to teaching people about the issues surrounding pollution in the water and helping them develop solutions. They combine their best-practice plastic management strategies with the needs of communities and the planet’s health. They advocate for better programs and practices around the world. They are also committed to helping countries acquire adequate infrastructure to manage waste. And finally, they are committed to action-based engagement, which involves cleaning up the oceans and restoring environments.

This non-profit is taking the necessary steps to help us get ocean legacy plastic out of the oceans and give unwanted items a new life. While the ultimate solution must be to avoid throwing plastic into the oceans, these are important tactics for cleaning up the water and contributing to a plastic circular economy.

Source Happy Eco News

‘Biodegradable’ plastic will soon be banned in Australia—that’s a big win for the environment

Posted on March 11, 2021 by dishanth

To start dealing with Australia’s mounting plastic crisis, the federal government last week launched its first National Plastics Plan.

The plan will fight plastic on various fronts, such as banning plastic on beaches, ending polystyrene packaging for takeaway containers, and phasing in microplastic filters in washing machines. But we’re particularly pleased to see a main form of biodegradable plastic will also be phased out.

Biodegradable plastic promises a plastic that breaks down into natural components when it’s no longer wanted for its original purpose. The idea of a plastic that literally disappears once in the ocean, littered on land or in landfill is tantalizing—but also (at this stage) a pipe dream.

Why ‘biodegradable’ ain’t that great

“Biodegradable” suggests an item is made from plant-based materials. But this isn’t always the case.

A major problem with “biodegradable” plastic is the lack of regulations or standards around how the term should be used. This means it could, and is, being used to refer to all manner of things, many of which aren’t great for the environment.

Many plastics labeled biodegradable are actually traditional fossil-fuel plastics that are simply degradable (as all plastic is) or even “oxo-degradable”—where chemical additives make the fossil-fuel plastic fragment into microplastics. The fragments are usually so small they’re invisible to the naked eye, but still exist in our landfills, water ways and soils.

The National Plastics Plan aims to work with industry to phase out this problematic “fragmentable” plastic by July, 2022.

Some biodegradable plastics are made from plant-based materials. But it’s often unknown what type of environment they’ll break down in and how long that would take.

Those items may end up existing for decades, if not centuries, in landfill, litter or ocean as many plant-based plastics actually don’t break down any quicker than traditional plastics. This is because not all plant-based plastics are necessarily compostable, as the way some plant-based polymers form can make them incredibly durable.

So it’s best to avoid all plastic labeled as biodegradable. Even after the ban eliminates fragmentation—the worst of these—there’s still no evidence remaining types of biodegradable plastics are better for the environment.

Home compostable label. Source: Australian Bioplastics Association (ABA).

Compostable plastics aren’t much better

Compostable plastic is another label you may have come across that’s meant to be better for the environment. It’s specifically designed to break down into natural, non-toxic components in certain conditions.

Unlike biodegradable plastics, there are certification standards for compostable plastics, so it’s important to check for one the below labels. If an item doesn’t have a certification label, there’s nothing to say it isn’t some form of mislabelled “biodegradable” plastic.

But most certified compostable plastics are only for industrial composts, which reach very high temperatures. This means they’re unlikely to break down sufficiently in home composts. Even those certified as “home compostable” are assessed under perfect lab conditions, which aren’t easily achieved in the backyard.

And while certified compostable plastics are increasing, the number of industrial composting facilities that actually accept them isn’t yet keeping up.

Nor are collection systems to get your plastics to these facilities. The vast majority of kerbside organics recycling bins don’t currently accept compostable plastics and other packaging. This means placing compostable plastics in these bins is considered contamination.

Even if you can get your certified compostable plastics to an appropriate facility, composting plastics actually reduces their economic value as they can no longer be used in packaging and products. Instead, they’re only valuable for returning nutrients to soil and, potentially, capturing a fraction of the energy used to produce them.

Finally, if you don’t have an appropriate collection system and your compostable plastic ends up in landfill, that might actually be worse than traditional plastic. Compostable plastics could release methane—a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide—in landfill, in the same way food waste does.

So, you should only consider compostable plastics when you have a facility that will take them, and a way to get them there.

And while the National Plastics Plan and National Packaging Targets are aiming for at least 70% of plastics to be recovered by 2025 (including through composting), nothing yet has been said about how collection systems will be supported to achieve this.

A brief guide to help you responsibly dispose of your plastics. Source: University Technology Sydney

Is recycling helpful?

Only an estimated 9% of plastics worldwide (and 18% in Australia) are actually recycled. The majority ends up in landfill, and can leak into our oceans and natural environments.

In Australia, systems for recycling the most common types of plastic packaging are well established and in many cases operate adequately. However, there are still major issues.

For example, many plastic items can’t be recycled in our kerbside bins (including soft and flexible plastics such as bags and cling films, and small items like bottle lids, plastic cutlery and straws). Placing these items in your kerbside recycling bin can contaminate other recycling and even damage sorting machines.

What’s more, much of the plastic collected for recycling doesn’t have high value “end markets.” Only two types of plastic—PET (think water or soft drink bottles and some detergent containers) and HDPE (milk bottles, shampoo/conditioner/detergent containers)—are easily turned back into new plastic containers.

The rest end up in a stream called “mixed plastics,” much of which we have traditionally exported overseas for recycling due to low demand here. The new waste export ban may help fix this in the future.

So what do you do about plastic?

The obvious answer then, is to eliminate problematic plastic altogether, as the National Plastics Plan is attempting to do, and replace single-use plastics with reusable alternatives.

Little actions such as bringing your reusable water bottle, coffee cup and cutlery, can add up to big changes, if adequately supported by businesses and government to create a widespread culture shift. So too, could a swing away from insidious coffee capsules, cling wrap and cotton buds so many of us depend on.

Opting too, for plastic items made from recycled materials can make a big impact on the feasibility of plastic recycling.

If you do end up with plastic on your hands, take a quick glance at the graphic above, or read the University Technology Sydney’s Detailed Decision Guide to Disposing of Plastics.

By Jenni Downes, Kim Borg and Nick Florin, The Conversation

Source: PHYS.ORG