Introduction to plastic

Plastic is a material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic

compounds that are malleable and can be molded into solid objects. Plastics are typically
organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other substances. They are
usually synthetic, most commonly derived from petrochemicals, but many are made from
renewable materials such as polylactic acid from corn or cellulosic from cotton linters.
Plasticity is the general property of all materials that are able to irreversibly deform without
breaking, but this occurs to such a degree with this class of moldable polymers that their
name is an emphasis on this ability.

Due to their relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to
water, plastics are used in an enormous and expanding range of products, from paper clips to
spaceships. They have already displaced many traditional materials, such as wood, stone,
horn and bone, leather, paper, metal, glass, and ceramic, in most of their former uses. In
developed countries, about a third of plastic is used in packaging and another third in
buildings such as piping used in plumbing or vinyl siding. Other uses include automobiles
(up to 20% plastic), furniture, and toys. In the developing world, the ratios may be different -
for example, reportedly 42% of India's consumption is used in packaging. Plastics have
many uses in the medical field. As well, to include polymer implants, however the field of
plastic surgery is not named for use of plastic material, but rather the more generic meaning
of the word plasticity in regard to the reshaping of flesh.

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 Usage of plastic in daily life

 Polyester (PES) – Fibers, textiles

 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – Carbonated drinks bottles, peanut butter jars,

plastic film, microwavable packaging

 Polyethylene (PE) – Wide range of inexpensive uses including supermarket bags,

plastic bottles

 High-density polyethylene (HDPE) – Detergent bottles, milk jugs, and molded plastic
cases

 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – Plumbing pipes and guttering, shower curtains, window
frames, flooring

 Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) – Food packaging,

 such as Saran

 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) – Outdoor furniture, siding, floor tiles, shower

curtains, clamshell packaging

 Polypropylene (PP) – Bottle caps, drinking straws, yogurt containers, appliances, car
fenders (bumpers), plastic pressure pipe systems

 Polystyrene (PS) – Foam peanuts, food containers,

 High impact polystyrene (HIPS) – Refrigerator liners, food packaging, vending cups

 Polyamides (PA) ( Nylons) – Fibers, toothbrush bristles, tubing, fishing line, low-
strength machine parts such as engine parts or gun frames

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  Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) – Electronic equipment cases (e.g. computer
monitors, printers, keyboards), drainage pipe
 Polyethylene/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PE/ABS) – A slippery blend of PE and
ABS used in low-duty dry bearings

 Polycarbonate (PC) – Compact discs, eyeglasses, riot shields, security windows,

traffic lights, lenses

 Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS) – A blend of PC and ABS

that creates a stronger plastic used in car interior and exterior parts, and mobile phone
bodies

 Polyurethanes (PU) – Cushioning foams, thermal insulation foams, surface coatings,

printing rollers (Currently sixth or seventh most commonly used plastic material, for
instance the most commonly used plastic in cars)

Plastic products
Some of the examples below are Products of Plastics in the Construction industry:

 Pipes : Electrical Conduits, Rain Water & Sewage pipes, Plumbing, Gas
Distributions.

 Cables : PVC Insulation on cables, Insulation Tapes .

 Floorings : Flooring tiles & Rolls .

 Domes / sky lights : Opaque as well as transparent.

 Roofing : Colored or Double skinned for insulation.

 Windows & doors : Extruded sections for Door and windows and panels.

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 Storage tanks : Storage tanks.

Advantages of plastics

 Plastics are strong yet lightweight, and so they are easy to transport & man
oeuvre.

 They are durable, knock-and scratch resistant with excellent weather ability.

 They do not rot or corrode.

 Plastics are easy to install; many have a snap-fit kind of jointing procedures.

 Plastics offer limitless possibilities in design achieved by extrusion,

bending, molding etc.

 They can be given any range of colors by adding pigments.

 The plastics are low conductors of heat and thus are used as insulation materials in
green building concepts.

 The plastics products can achieve tight seals.

 They can be sawn and nailed employing standard carpentry tools and skills.

 They can be easily removed and recycled.

 They are bad conductors of electricity.

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 Disadvantages of plastics

 Plastic products that contain a variety of additives are toxic.

 Traces of additives like adulates and phthalates which are used in PVC products can
leach out the product, which can be toxic.

 Some substances that leach out from polystyrene food containers is said to interfere
with hormone function are said to be carcinogenic to humans.

 The monomers used in the manufacture of plastic may be toxic.

 Some polymers of plastic may decompose on heating giving monomers or other toxic
substances when they are heated.

 Chemicals like biphenyl A, which are the primary building block of polycarbonate is
estrogen like and is said to an endocrine disruptor that may get leached to food.

 The BPA leached from the lining of tin cans and polycarbonate bottles are said to
increase body weight in lab animals.

 Low-level exposure to BPA may result in insulin resistance and it can also lead to
inflammation and heart disease.

 Most plastic are not biodegradable and they degrade very slowly.

 The increase in presence of micro plastics in the marine food chain and many other
toxic chemical pollutants are a serious threat to environment.

 Incineration of plastics releases carbons leading to effects of global warming.

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 Effects of Plastic on Environment
Plastic products involves the pollution in the environment that adversely affects wildlife,
wildlife habitat, or humans.Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized into micro-, meso-,
or macrodebris, based on size. The prominence of plastic pollution is correlated with plastics
being inexpensive and durable, which lends to high levels of plastics used by humans.
However, it is slow to degrade. Plastic pollution can unfavorably affect lands, waterways and
oceans. Living organisms, particularly marine animals, can also be affected through
entanglement, direct ingestion of plastic waste, or through exposure to chemicals within
plastics that cause interruptions in biological functions. Humans are also affected by plastic
pollution, such as through the disruption of the thyroid hormone axis or hormone levels. In
the UK alone, more than 5 million tones of plastic are consumed each year, of which an
estimated mere 24% makes it into recycling systems. That leaves a remaining 3.8 million
tones of waste, destined for landfills. Plastic reduction efforts have occurred in some areas in
attempts to reduce plastic consumption and pollution and promote plastic recycling.

Recycling of Plastic
Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the
material into useful products. Since plastic is non- biodegradable, recycling is a part of global
efforts to reduce plastic in the waste stream, especially the approximately eight million metric
tonnes of waste plastic that enter the Earth's ocean every year. This helps to reduce the high
rates of plastic pollution.

Plastic recycling includes taking any type of plastic sorting it into different polymers and then
chipping it and then melting it down into pellets after this stage it can then be used to make
items of any kind such as
plastic chairs and tables. Soft Plastics are also recycled such as polyethylene film and bags.
This closed-loop operation has taken place since the 1970s and has made the production of
some plastic products amongst the most efficient operations today.

Compared with lucrative recycling of metal, and similar to the low value of glass, plastic
polymers recycling is often more challenging because of low density and low value. There
are also numerous technical hurdles to overcome when recycling plastic.

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A macro molecule interacts with its environment along its entire length, so total energy
involved in mixing it is largely due to the product side stoichiometry (see enthalpy). Heating
alone is not enough to dissolve such a large molecule, so plastics must often be of nearly
identical composition to mix efficiently.

When different types of plastics are melted together, they tend to phase-separate, like oil and
water, and set in these layers. The phase boundaries cause structural weakness in the
resulting material, meaning that polymer blends are useful in only limited applications.

Another barrier to recycling is the wide spread use of dyes, fillers and other additives in
plastics. The polymer is generally to viscous to economically remove fillers and would be
damaged by many of the processes that could cheaply remove the added dyes. Additives are
less widely used in beverage containers and plastic bags, allowing them to be recycled more
often. Yet another barrier to removing large quantities of plastic from the waste stream and
landfills is the fact that many common but small plastic items lack the universal triangle
recycling symbol and accompanying number. An example is the billions of plastic utensils
commonly distributed at fast food restaurants or sold for use at picnics.

The percentage of plastic that can be fully recycled, rather than down cycled or go to waste
can be increased when manufacturers of packaged goods minimize mixing of packaging
materials and eliminate contaminants. The Association of Plastics Recyclers have issued a
Design Guide for Recyclability.

The use of biodegradable plastics is increasing.

Process of Plastic Recycling

The following is a step by step process of plastic recycling:

1. Collection

Plastics are available in a number of forms for example plastic containers, jars, bottles, plastic

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bags, packaging plastic, big industrial plastics just to mention but a few. Due to their nature
and availability, there are plastic collection centers and some business people have ventured
into plastic collecting business as a source of income. Tons and tons of scrap plastic are
collected and sent to a collecting yard where they are then packed and transported to plastic
processing plants. Unfortunately, not all countries have the capacity to recycle plastic. Very
few developing countries can actually recycle plastic. This means that, plastic waste is still a
major problem to some countries in the world.

2. Sorting

The actual plastic recycling process starts with sorting of the different plastic items by their
resin content and color. This process is also done to ensure all contaminates are eliminated.
There are specially designed machines that help in sorting of the plastics according to their
resin content. Then the recycling mill sorts the scrap plastic by symbols at the bottom of the
plastics.

3. Shredding

After sorting the plastics, the next step is to cut the plastics into tiny chunks or pieces. The
plastic bottles and containers are then ground and cut into tiny pieces or flakes. The heavier
and lighter plastic flakes are separated using a specially designed machine. The separation
process helps in ensuring that the different plastics are not put together or mixed up in the
final product. Remember that different plastics are used to make different items.

4. Cleaning

After a complete separation, the flakes or chunks are then washed with detergents to remove
the remaining contamination. Once the cleaning process is complete, the clean flakes are
passed through specialized equipment that further separates the plastic resin types. The
plastic flakes are then subjected to moderate heat to dry.

5. Melting

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The dry flakes are melted down. They can be melted down and molded into a new shape or
they are melted down and processed into granules. The melting process is done under
regulated temperatures. There is specialized equipment designed to melt down plastic without
destroying them.

6. Making of pellets

After the melting process, the plastic pieces are then compressed into tiny pellets known as
nurdles. In this state, the plastic pellets are ready for reuse or be redesigned into new plastic
products. It is important to point out that recycled plastic is hardly used to make identical
plastic item or its previous form. It is in this pellet form that plastics are transported to plastic
manufacturing companies to be redesigned and be used in making other useful plastic
products.

Common Recycled Plastics:

There are numerous and common types of recycled plastics as can be seen below

1.Polyethylene Terephthalate

This type of recycled plastic is tough, has excellent clarity, is strong and has barrier to
moisture and gas. It is used in the manufacture of water, soft drinks, peanut butter and salad
dressing bottles and jars.

2. High Density Polyethylene

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This recycled plastic is known for its excellent stiffness, resistance to moisture, strength,
versatility, toughness and reduced permeability to gas. It is used in the manufacture of water,
juice and milk bottles. It is also used to make retail and trash bags for households and
business people.

3. Polyvinyl Chloride

Abbreviated as PVC, polyvinyl chloride has a number of applications. It is versatile, can be

bended easily, it is tough and strong. This recycled plastic is commonly used in the
manufacture of juice bottles, PVC piping and cling films.

4. Low Density Polyethylene

This is the most common type of recycled plastic. It has exceptional ease of processing; it is
strong, flexible, tough, and resistant to moisture and it’s easy to seal.

This plastic is usually used in making frozen food bags, flexible container lids, freezable
bottles just to mention but a few.

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 Advantages of Recycling Plastics:

 Provision of a Sustainable Source of Raw Materials

Recycling plastics provides a sustainable source of raw materials to the manufacturing industry. Once
the plastics are recycled, they are sent to manufacturing industries to be redesigned and converted into
new shapes and used in different appliances.

 Reduces Environmental Problems

Since plastics are non-biodegradable, they pose a high risk to the people and the environment as a
whole. They can block sewer lines, drainages and other waterways leading to blockages and
unwanted pileups. When plastics are eliminated through recycling, the environment looks clean and
inhabitable.

 Reduces Landfill Problems

Recycling plastics minimizes the amount of plastic being taken to the ever diminishing landfill sites.
Most countries have designated areas specifically meant for burying plastics. When they are recycled,
these sites will receive little plastic garbage. The remaining areas can be used for other purposes
instead of dumping plastics that do not rot. These areas can be used for agriculture or for human
settlement.
 Consumes Less Energy

Recycling of materials including plastics requires less energy as compared to making the plastic from
scratch. This saves energy and that energy can be diverted to other important things in the economy. It
is therefore important to encourage plastic recycling in the manufacturing industry as it will save the
economy billions of money.

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  Encourages a Sustainable Lifestyle among People

Individuals who have ventured into plastic collection and recycling business will experience
improved lifestyles as they will get their daily income from the business. This will in the long run
improve the economy and boost the living standards of the people.

25 staggering ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

1. Avoid the use of disposable goods such as lighters, paper cups and plastics.
Throwing these objects contribute to greater problems and they have to be replaced over and
over again. Once these goods are disposed off in the landfills, there is the probability that they
may form breeding sites for diseases. Besides, once these materials are used there is need to
replace them each time which is very expensive and costly.

2. Purchase products made from recycled materials. A product that has the recycled
symbol means that either it has been made from recycled material or it can be recycled. This
is common in plastics that have this recycling symbol usually with a numbered code which
shows the type of plastic resin that this container really is made.

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3. Use cloth bags when buying groceries or reuse grocery bags . Only take a bag
from the grocery store if you need it.

4. Instead of using plastic wraps use resalable containers. When the plastic bags
are used once there is need to acquire new ones over and over again however resalable
containers can be used only once and reused. This cuts on costs a lot.

5. Donate to charity or sell old clothes, furniture, toys or appliances. Most

especially, the furniture can be sold in garage ads and sales. There are times when one needs
to change their furniture. Instead of throwing away this furniture which can be useful to
another person, it can instead be sold to those willing to buy or donated to various institutions
or individuals who require them most.

6. Instead of using paper cups or bottled water, use coffee mugs or personal

water bottle. The coffee mugs and personal water bottles are portable and can be reused
every time. However the plastic cups/bottled water have to be thrown away after each use
thus increasing the amount of waste to be disposed off.

7. Adopt the use of recycled paper for copier paper, letterhead and

newsletters. With recycled paper there is reduced waste, they are cheaper, and are even
with high quality.

8. Ensure you buy products in bulk. Purchasing products in large quantities or economy
sized ones usually use less packaging and even cost less per amount. Once a person purchases
goods in bulk it will take long before they buy new ones. Besides, lee packaging will be used
as it is only packaged once.

9. Avoid those goods that are over packaged. There are some goods that are packed
with so much material such as plastic, foil and paper. While these materials may be best for
their use one has to pay more for these packages which is so expensive.

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10. Encourage people to buy products that are made from material which is

collected particularly for recycling from the community. If the community has
decided to recycle some objects so that they can be reused by people, it is right that people are
informed about these products to increase their awareness about these products and use them
more.

11. Learn to reuse products in different ways . For example plastic microwave dinner
trays can be used as picnic dishes. Similarly coffee cans can be used to pack lunch. When an
object can be used for one function or purpose, it can similarly be used to perform other
functions. This helps save on the costs of purchasing another material to perform other
functions.

12. Products can be reused for the same purpose. Broken furniture’s, appliances and
toys can be repaired. We can also save on plastic bags and paper. A person can carry their
own water bottle or even reuse water bottles.

13. Instead of using paper napkins cloth napkins can be used. Additionally, people
can use refillable form of products such as the cleaning products, body sprays and even
foodstuffs like juices.
14. Use electronic mails instead of using papers and envelopes. When conveying
some information to someone at work or out of the office papers may be used especially when
writing the notes manually. So much paper is used, instead of such wastage electronic mails
may be used which does not involve any wastage or something that may destroy the
environment.

15. Use dish cloths instead of using paper towels. Paper towels cannot be reused as they
may soak wet. However, dish cloths can be used over and over until it is dirty and thus
requires cleaning. When it comes to paper towels there is a lot of wastage of resources as one
has to use more than one each time which is unlike the dish towels that can be used once in
every session.

16. Instead of using several files for various individuals adopt central files.

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 When making files for each individual a lot of paper is involved unlike when a central file is
used. Here all the information in regards to the individuals is located at one central place and
thus not so much paper is used.

17. In the work place, instead of making one sided copies, one can use two

sided copies. If one sided copies are made there will be more use of the papers which is a
wastage of resources when one sided copies can be used which are less.

18. Goods that are durable should be preferred. Durable goods with warranties tend to
last long thus a person saves money in the long run and also saves landfill space. It takes very
long for well built products to be broken thus there is reduced disposal of the items.

19. One can wear clothes that do not require dry-cleaning. This practice saves on
money and also cuts down on toxic chemical use.

20. The local government can be asked to set up an electronics recycling and

hazardous waste collection session. During this time the used electronic materials are
donated or even sold to people who can reuse them instead of buying new ones.

21. The plastic soda bottle once used can be reused to make disposable funnels

from the half of the bottle. The bottom half can be used as plant greenhouse and
similarly a scoop from the bottom half can be made.
22.Old newspapers can be reused in a number of ways. Firstly, they can be used as
wrap packages in food stores. Secondly, it can be used in shoes that are large to make them
tight.
23. One can check various collection centres and even pickup services so as to

see what they accept and also commence collecting those materials. Among
the materials that can be collected includes newspapers, plastics, paper products and even oil.

24.At the work places one should speak with the managers and ask them to
purchase products that can help cut down on waste like products that are

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 not over packaged or even recycled products.

25. Recycle the small used materials. Small patches of used soaps can be collected and
reused for other activities so that they are not thrown away. Real changes can be made to the
environment by reducing, reusing and recycling materials.

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 Construction of Wall using Plastic Bottles

In this construction we are replacing bricks by plastic bottles for the purpose of recycling
plastic.

At first the bottles are filled with sand and compacted well to remove voids to maximum extent as
possible.

A C.C bed of ratio (1:4:8) is constructed well in advance before the construction of wall.

The compacted bottles are so arranged in the form of a wall and a cement motor of ratio (1:3) is
used in the process of construction.

And Plastering is done with suitable thickness.

Curing is done for a minimum of 28 days to achieve appreciable results.

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STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION

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 Scope
By adopting plastic recycling methods we can reduce the pollution to the maximum
extent possible and plastic can be reused in a best way.

We humbly request you to stop using plastic as it pollute the

Environment.

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