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Recycling bottled water
From CopperWiki
Worldwide, bottled water consumption is growing at an annual rate of 12 percent, and in newer markets like India, it is increasing by as much as 50 percent annually. Consumers across the globe now spend an estimated $35 billion a year on this water.[1] It is the fastest growing beverage industry in the world. Among the largest issues besetting bottled water is plastic waste and recycling.
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[edit] Why should I be aware of it?
It is normally assumed that by recycling the plastic bottles, our reposnibility towards it is over and that we are reducing our carbon footprint. This is true to some extent. If you do not recycle these bottles then you impact both your health -- by resuing this bottle to store beevrages -- and the environment. But if you do recycle it, you have reversed the damage to a limited extent only.
[edit] All about recycling plastic bottles
- The plastic items including bottles are collected either by the waste collectors, or from recycling centres. They are then taken to a central place such as a material reclamation facility (MRF) in the UK and are sorted into different categories. Some places have machines that scan each bottle to determine the type of plastic -- whether it is HDPE, PET or PVC. Sm eplaces this is a manual process undertaken by trained or experienced people.
- Once the bottles have been sorted, they are then squashed into blocks and sent to the balers to be baled.
- The bottles are then taken to a flaking plant where they are chopped into little plastic chips. The plastic is then cleaned to remove any paper labels and dirt. The bottles are then spun and dried with hot air.
- The plastic chips are then bagged and sold for reprocessing.
- The clean plastic chips are melted down and used to make lots of new items. These include new plastic bottles, anoraks, sweaters, carpets, pipes, electrical fittings and garden furniture.
[edit] Recycling bottled water and environment
Critics of plastic say that when you recycle a hazard, you create a hazard. Recycling of a toxic waste merely puts the hazardous material back into the marketplace and, eventually, into the environment – thereby making no reduction in toxic use. Plastic defies any kind of attempt at disposal – be it through recycling, burning, or landfilling. Landfills are also prone to leaks. The wastes – especially cadmium and lead in the wastes – invariably mix with rain water, then seep through the ground and drain into nearby streams and lakes and other water bodies. Thus the water we use gets poisoned.
Since plastic does not undergo bacterial decomposition, landfilling using plastic would mean preserving the poison forever. Burning is also not an option. When burned, plastic releases a host of poisonous chemicals into the air, including dioxin, the most toxic substance known to science.
[edit] Recycling bottled water and health
Apart from these perils, recycling of plastic is very uneconomical, dirty and labour-intensive as has been revealed by a study conducted by the Public Interest Research Group, based in Dehi, India. Recycling of plastic is associated with skin and respiratory problems, resulting from exposure to and inhalation of toxic fumes, especially hydrocarbons and residues released during the process. What is worse, the recycled plastic degrades in quality and cannot be used for storing any edibles as its impact on health is much worse ththan the original.
[edit] What can I do?
We can avoid consuming bottled water and go for water filters at home and use water bottles to store water when on move.
[edit] Recycling bottles at home
One can also turn plastic bottles into great objects, reuse them as fun or functional items. Here are some quick and easy ideas
- Cut and trim off the top portion of a plastic water bottle and use it as a champagne glass.
- Build a waterpipe.
- Lavalamps.
- Wave maker
- Build a waterpipe, lavalamps
- Funnels - Cutting the bottom off a PET bottle can turn it into a super handy funnel for use in all sorts of applications.
- Timber Protector / Soften up those Hard Edges -- The tops of fence posts and garden stakes can be covered with round bottle sections, protecting the timber from the weather or stopping you for accidentally causing yourself an injury when bending over the garden.
- Home Brewed Beer Bottles-- Home brew can be stored in these bottles very effectively.
- Ice Pack - Freeze water in them to put in the picnic cooler or wherever, as the ice melts it does not make a mess everywhere.
- Slow Release Watering System - We normally just cut the bottom off a PET bottle, pierce a hole in the cap and then insert the bottle into the mulch or soil around a plant. Fill the bottle as required and let the water drip slowly into the soil. You can also buy special "spikes" that go into the ground beside the plant and the bottle (with just a hole pierced in the bottom) is screwed into the spike.
- Flying insect traps
- Trap 1 is a bottle with the top 1/3 cut off, trimed so it makes 3 legs (holes for the flies to access the bait which is put under this affair) and inserted into the other 2/3. After the flies feed they always leave by taking off and flying upwards, thru the funnel and into the main chamber. They are too stupid to try to get out the hole, always trying to fly up. Yes, it really works.
- Trap 2 has short pieces of tube inserted in the sides, pointing down. The bait is put in the bottom, the flies enter thru the tubes, and again are too dumb to get out that way.
- Candle Holder -- Particularly useful for outdoor events or for keeping the breeze from blowing out your outdoor candles, cut the bottom off the bottle, invert and insert the candle in the neck of the bottle.
- Seedlings -- You cut the bottom off your PET bottles and take the lid off, they can be fitted over delicate seedlings. This will add some extra warmth to the growing area and keeps the dreaded snails and slugs at bay at the same time.
[edit] Ways to recycle PET Bottle caps
Caution: When recycling PET Bottles please remember that by and large PET bottle tops are made of a different plastic. Therefore the recycling is different [1].
- Bottle cap fish mosaic - recycled as art
- Second Hand Saints Bottle Cap Jewellery
- Make art not trash
- Michelle Stitzlein's Witty Moths and Flowers
- How to Make Bottle Cap Earrings
[edit] Additional information
Recycling Web Links
"...a grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns" run through a network of Yahoo! Groups. Fantastic site!
If you want to sell items, Craig's List is the place. As opposed to eBay, Craig's List doesn't charge you to sell items. There are areas on the site for most large cities, so you can just deal with those local to you for convenience.
The EPA’s state-by-state listing of materials and waste exchanges.
The Southern Waste Information eXchange, Inc., links buyers and sellers in the USA.
New York Wa$teMatch helps businesses in the New York City area to exchage their waste materials.
[edit] Learn/Unlearn
Research in Plastic recycling
- ECOGIR™ Recycled makes suits from Bagir at bout $ 200. These are made in part from recycled PET plastic bottles. They're also machine washable.
- Plastic asphalt paving material
- Waste plastic burner for alternative energy
- PET bottle flake recycling machine
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- PET bottle
- Bottled Water -- Did You Know?
- WHO: Bottled Drinking Water
- Analysis of Pesticides Residue in Bottled Water
