MAR 09 FINAL.indd - SUNY Delhi

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3) Buy products with minimal
plastic packaging or buy in bulk.
Choosing products with less packaging
is not only good for the environment,
but it is less costly for manufacturers.
Another step that you might
take is to write to the manufactures of
your favorite products to encourage
them to use less packaging or more
environmentally friendly packaging.
4) Buy products made or packaged
with recycled materials. Buying
these goods supports recycling efforts.
If you have reduced your plastic
waste and are wondering what else
you can do, recycling plastic from
consumable everyday items should
be the next step. Here in Delaware
County, only clean (rinsed) #1 and #2
plastic containers with necks can be
recycled, for example beverage bottles
and detergent containers. Check the
Campus Recycling Guide available at
http://www.delhi.edu/administration/
facilities/recycle/ for detailed information
on recycling of plastic and other
materials. Statistical data from www.
greenerchoices.org indicate that about
25% of #1 and #2 plastic were recycled
in 2006, so there is a lot of room
for improvement. But what exactly do
all of those recycling numbers mean,
anyway?
Chemically speaking, the word “plastic”
refers generally to many different
compounds with different properties.
Most plastics are primarily composed
of the elements carbon and hydrogen,
but they may also contain smaller
amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine,
sulfur, and/or silicon. However, all
plastics are polymers, which are large
molecules made of smaller subunits
called monomers. To create the plastic
polymers, petroleum products are
heated under controlled conditions,
which creates plastic monomer units,
and then the monomers are allowed to
join together to produce the polymer.
The properties of the plastic material,
such as strength or fl exibility, depend
on which monomers are used and how
they are joined together with heat and
pressure. Essentially, it is like making
a chain, and the properties of the chain
depend on which links are hooked
together. The resin identifi cation code
(the recycling number printed on the
plastic container) serves to classify the
type of plastic so that its properties
may be known, and these codes are
briefl y described below.
Resin identifi cation code #1 indicates
a type of plastic called polyethylene
LA, cont’d from pg. 13
technology to end our addiction to oil.
Toward the end of the speech, Jindal says
that we must promote confi dence in America
by having the most transparency system
in the world. He points to how his state
has passed the strongest ethics laws recently.
He said that transparency was necessary
so that “we never see the passage
of another trillion dollar spending bill…”
First, I could hardly believe that he was
bringing transparency into the question
when Obama has strived for transparency
terephthalate (PET or PETE), which
has properties of clarity, strength,
toughness, and is a good barrier to
gas and moisture. PET plastic is the
most common for single-use bottled
beverages, because it is inexpensive,
lightweight and easy to recycle.
Examples of PET containers include
soda bottles, water bottles, peanut
butter jars, salad dressing bottles, and
other similar containers. As mentioned
before, PET is accepted in most
recycling programs, and it is commonly
recycled into polar fl eece, fi ber,
tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling,
straps, and new containers (occasionally).
Recycling rates remain relatively
low (around 20-25%), though the
recycled material is in high demand by
manufacturers.
Resin identifi cation code #2 is for high
density polyethylene (HDPE), which
has properties of stiffness, strength,
toughness, resistance to moisture, and
permeability to gas. HDPE has many
uses, especially in packaging of common
items like milk, bleach, household
cleaner, shampoo, butter, cereal,
and motor oil. Again, high density
polyethylene is accepted in most
recycling programs, although some
programs only allow containers with
necks (such as Delaware County).
HDPE may be recycled into detergent
bottles, pens, recycling containers,
fl oor tile, drainage pipe, doghouses,
picnic tables, and fencing.
Resin identifi cation code #3 is for
polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which has
properties of versatility, clarity, ease
of blending, strength, and toughness.
PVC is commonly used in detergent
bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food
packaging, medical equipment, siding,
windows, and pipes. PVC is tough
and weathers well, so it is commonly
used for siding and similar applications.
Polyvinyl chloride is rarely
recycled, but is accepted by some
manufacturers to be converted into
decking, paneling, mudfl aps, fl ooring,
cables, and mats. However, PVC
contains the element chlorine, which
makes the manufacturing process involve
dangerous chemicals. Furthermore,
the chlorine content is also the
reason why PVC should not be burned
or allowed to touch food during cooking
(or microwaving), because harmful
substances can be released.
Resin identifi cation code #4 is for low
density polyethylene (LDPE), which
has properties of ease of processing,
strength, toughness, fl exibility, ease
of sealing, and is a good barrier to
ever since he has been in offi ce. Not only
did Obama apologize for the recent Tom
Daschle tax debacle, but there is a website
made to track the money being spent under
the stimulus bill: recovery.gov. Second, I
must say that I am glad that the stimulus
package went through. Jindal and Republicans
say that this is a burden that we are
irresponsibly putting on our children, but I
say: how will we raise our children without
money? Time will tell how well the recovery
bill will pull us out of this rut. Unlike
Rush Limbaugh, I’m hoping for its suc-
Plastic Recycling
moisture. LDPE is fl exible and commonly
used for squeezable bottles,
bread bags, shopping bags, clothing,
furniture, and carpet. LDPE is not
usually recycled, with the exception
of shopping bags, but more recycling
programs are accepting it. Recycled
LDPE can be converted into trash can
liners, compost bins, shipping envelopes,
paneling, landscaping tiles, and
fl oor tile.
Resin identifi cation code #5 is for
polypropylene (PP), which has properties
of strength, toughness, resistance
to heat/chemicals/grease & oil, versatile,
and is a good barrier to moisture.
Polypropylene has a high melting
point, and is good for containers that
must accept hot liquid. Examples of
PP uses include yogurt cups, syrup
bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws,
and medicine bottles. Polypropylene
is occasionally recycled (becoming
more accepted), but may be converted
to brooms, brushes, ice scrapers,
rakes, bins, and trays.
Resin identifi cation code #6 is for
polystyrene (PS), which is probably
more easily recognized by the brand
name Styrofoam® (although polystyrene
can also exist as a harder, less airfi
lled plastic). Polystyrene is versatile
and easily formed, which makes it
useful for disposable plates and cups,
meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers,
and packing material. Many
places will not accept PS for recycling
because it has a bad reputation for being
diffi cult to recycle, but it is slowly
gaining support. Polystyrene may be
recycled into insulation, light switch
plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam
packing, and carry-out containers.
Polystyrene has a low melting point
and should not be strongly heated
(including the microwave) or burned,
because it can release harmful breakdown
products.
Resin identifi cation code #7 is the
category for a variety of plastics that
do not fi t into the categories #1-6, thus
#7 plastic is given the name “other.”
Number 7 plastics are commonly used
for water bottles, bullet-proof materials,
sunglasses, DVDs, computer
cases, signs, and food containers.
Number 7 plastics have traditionally
not been recycled, but may be recycled
into plastic lumber and other custom
products. Acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene (ABS) is one type of plastic
that is in the #7 category, and common
examples of products are plastic clarinets,
golf club heads, protective head
gear, and Lego® bricks. Although
cess.
If it is not obvious yet, let me state that I
am a registered Democrat voter and I side
to the far left. I am for bigger government,
and although I’m not an economist by any
means, I do believe that the Reagonomics
trickle-down (while-the-government-doesalmost-
nothing) theory will not work for
the US especially now. The best part of
Jindal’s otherwise unsuccessful speech was
at the end when he says, “it comes down to
an honest and fundamental disagreement
about the proper role of government…our
MARCH 2009
uncommon, polyactide is a type of #7
plastic that is compostable because
it is made from lactic acid, which is
found in milk or may be fermented
from corn starch. However, you may
be more familiar with lactic acid as
the stuff that makes your muscles
sting after running for too long. Polycarbonate,
which is hard and clear, is
the other large contributor to plastics
in this category.
So just what happens to all of that recycled
plastic after you put it in a bin
somewhere? Well, the plastic materials
are collected and go to a material
recovery center where they are sorted
manually and/or mechanically into
bins by their plastic type. The gargantuan
piles of recyclables are then baled
together and sent to a reclaiming facility,
where the scrap plastic is washed
and ground into fl akes. A fl otation
tank is then used to remove other
contaminants (based on density), and
the fl akes are dried, melted, fi ltered,
and formed into pellets. These pellets
are then sold and shipped to product
manufacturing plants, where they
are made into new plastic products.
Thanks to plastic recycling, fewer raw
materials and less energy are needed
to make new plastic products, and
that is something we all can be proud
about.
If you have been exposed to any
form of recycling propaganda before,
you probably have heard the phrase
“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” So here
we are, nearing the conclusion of this
article, and if you have been paying
close attention, you have probably noticed
that I have addressed both reduce
and recycle but not reuse. The reason
for this blatant omission of conventional
recycling wisdom is due to the
growing controversy over whether or
not plastic food/drink containers are
leaching harmful chemicals into the
very food and drink that we consume.
Particularly, some people are worried
that polycarbonate (#7) may leach a
potential hormone disruptor called
Bisphenol-A. All that I will say right
now is that this truly is a controversy
(although I tend to lean on the side
that it is more hype than a true concern).
However for non-food uses,
my offi cial position is that reusing
plastic items is a great way to contribute
to the recycling effort. That’s all
for now, but be sure to stay tuned and
watch for my next article in order to
make the decision for yourself if it is
a good idea to reuse plastic containers
for food or is it all just “hippie hype.”
party got away from its principles…Republicans
went along with earmarks and
big government spending in Washington.”
I agree with Jindal’s assessment of is own
party’s situation, and it should be interesting
to see the direction of the party. Will we
see more far right minorities and far right
republicans in general leading the way or
a rise in successful moderate conservative
voices? I hope it is the latter. While bipartisanship
is nice, it has been and will be
diffi cult to attain if we want real change.