Recycle to Upcycle – Imagine a World where There is More Plastic Waste in the Ocean than Fish
It is no big secret that there are literally millions of pieces of plastic waste floating in various bodies of water around the world. In the oceans alone there is an estimated 12 million metric tons of waste that finds its way to the water every single year. This is doing drastic and irreparable damage to our environment and to all types of fish.
How did we let our environment get so bad in the first place? Why are there so many rules and regulations with each municipality regarding waste disposal? A good percentage of the material that does get recycled does not even get salvaged to reuse again. Plastics are either deemed too dirty to reuse or the plastics themselves are too hard to break down which make the process more difficult to complete.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was a way to re-invent all the plastic that’s being used and discarded? In fact, there is such a thing. That’s where the term upcycling comes into play!
GreenMantra Technologies, a Canadian company, has found a way not only to recycle plastic but to “upcycle” it into other more valuable and useful materials. An example of this would be turning plastics into waxes and lubricants that are far more valuable then let’s say a plastic water bottle or a grocery bag. They in fact are currently producing an estimated 5,000 tonnes per year of ingredients that are used in roofing shingles and packaging glue. Their chief executive also says they do not plan on stopping just there and are looking for other ways to upcycle plastic waste material.
There is another rising company in the upcycle market who has found a way to sort and produce plastics in an eco-friendly manner. Pyrowave sells back the newly made products to their clients for an extra fee. Just like GreenMantra, Pyrowave also produces these products by turning the plastics into small molecules which it then turns into waxes and oils.
We need more waste management companies to come up with new ways to re-invent plastic material. ReDeTec is just one company that has come up with a great and unique way - they are doing their part in reusing plastic material. They essentially use recycled plastic for their 3D printers and can make different models for their clients. A normal roll of plastic film used for 3D printer’s can be upwards of $30. They use a device that is able to be programed to grind and melt waste before it is extruded into a film that is then ready to be used for their printers. Not only have they found themselves a cost-efficient way of producing business, they are also helping the environment at the same time.
While it would be nice to be able to recycle all our plastic material, it is just not plausible. A lot of people are suggesting that in about 30 years our underwater eco system will be virtually done for. Imagine an ocean with more plastic bottles then there are fish. This is the way our environment will turn out if we do not take this matter more seriously.
