The amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be nearly 3 million tonnes. An estimated 56% of all plastics waste is used packaging, three-quarters of which is from households. It is estimated that only 7% of total plastic waste arisings are currently being recycled.
The production and use of plastics has a range of environmental impacts. Firstly, plastics production requires significant quantities of resources, primarily fossil fuels, both as a raw material and to deliver energy for the manufacturing process. It is estimated that 4% of the world's annual oil production is used as a feedstock for plastics production and an additional 3-4% during manufacture.
A report on the production of carrier bags made from recycled rather than virgin polythene concluded that the use of recycled plastic resulted in the following environmental benefits:
Reduction of energy consumption by two-thirds
Production of only a third of the sulphur dioxide and half of the nitrous oxide
Reduction of water usage by nearly 90%
Reduction of carbon dioxide generation by two-and-a-half times
A different study concluded that 1.8 tonnes of oil are saved for every tonne of recycled polythene produced.
As government legislation now dictates all Farm Plastic waste is recycled, we can ensure you comply with this legislation by accepting all farm plastics for recycling, silage wrappings chemical containers etc.
We are proud to be able to help in reducing the amount of plastic waste that goes to landfill
|
