The lifecycle of

a plastic bottle
In the UK, we use 15 million plastic bottles EVERY day. Take a look around your
school or home and you will see them everywhere, containing anything from
squash to shampoo, and milk to washing liquid. But do you ever stop to think
how that plastic bottle was made or where it ends up after you’ve used it?

50% of plastic bottles are recycled

How are
plastic If you laid end-to-end, all the
in the UK. That’s good news,
but it means 50% of bottles
are still going to landfill. bottles bottles that Brits have
recycled over the past 10
years, they’d stretch to the

made?
moon and back 10 times!

1.produced
Almost all plastics are
from oil or
natural gas, two types
of fossil fuel. These
contain compounds
called hydrocarbons.

C
H

8.
H

This is
then injected
into moulds, H 2. When hydrocarbons
are subjected to very hot
where the temperatures, they break
plastic hardens down into smaller units,
and sets into a known as monomers.
bottle shape.

7. Next, the
plastic pellets 3. To make plastics,
are poured these monomers are
into a joined together in a
machine that long chain to form
heats them larger molecules called
to a very high polymers. This can be
temperature, done through one of
so it becomes two processes called
a thick liquid. polymerisation and
polycondensation.

6. At the bottling
factory, the plastic 4.Polymerisation
pellets may be uses heat, high pressure
combined with recycled and a catalyst to link together
plastic pellets. 50% of monomers into polymers.
plastic bottles in the UK 5. The end product –
delivered to bottle
The process of polycondensation
are now recycled, and links monomers in the same way
the recycled plastic can manufacturers in but produces water as well. Creating
be used on its own or pellet, powder, flake or different combinations of monomers
mixed with new liquid form – provides results in different types of plastic (e.g. a
plastic pellets to create the basic plastic for clear water bottle made from PET or a
new plastic bottles. making a plastic bottle. coloured shampoo bottle made from HDPE).

Do you recycle
your plastic bottle...
In most cases, your household At the recycling After this, the plastic
recycling is sent to a Materials plant, the plastic pellets are melted
Recovery Facility (MRF), where bottles are down – and sometimes
it’s sorted by type (e.g. glass shredded, washed new pellets are added
vs. plastics). Even different and often sorted – so it becomes a thick
plastics are sorted into types further (into liquid. This is then
(e.g. PET vs. HDPE) by clever different colours, injected into moulds,
machines that use light beams for example). where the plastic
to tell them apart. These are hardens and sets into
then packed by plastic type a bottle shape. And the
ready for recycling. cycle begins again…

...Or do you bin it?

Half of all plastic bottles are thrown in the Machinery squashes down the Some household
bin and end up in general household rubbish to prevent air from waste is burnt, rather
waste. This rubbish is taken to a landfill getting trapped, and soil is than being sent to
site, essentially a big hole in the ground, usually scattered on top of the landfill, which can
where it is buried and takes a very, very landfill to prevent bad smells. create energy. Any
long time to break down. leftover ash, however,
still ends up in landfill.

PET
(Polyethylene Terephthalate) 1 HDPE
(High Density Polyethylene) 2
Most clear plastic bottles are made Another popular plastic, often
of this popular plastic, and it’s also used for products like milk, it’s
the easiest to recycle. PET usually coloured or opaque. HDPE

Magic plastic Did you know...

Plastic is one of chemistry’s great Most plastic bottles are thermoplastics,
success stories. It only became which means they soften on heating and
Source: Wrap (www.wrap.org.uk)

widespread from the mid-1930s then harden again on cooling. In

onwards, but its malleable nature contrast, thermosets are processed
makes it extremely versatile, which using heat and pressure, which links
is why you’ll find it in most things together the polymers more tightly, so
around us: from your fleece jumper they never soften after they have been
to toys, polystyrene cups and moulded (like the plastic used in your
mobile phones. Just remember computer, for example).
to reduce, reuse and recycle!

Want to find out more? Visit www.jointhepod.org