Recycle Plastics with Acme Refining

Recycling one ton of plastics saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space and it take 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper.  Plastics take more energy to recycle as various plastics require different processes to be recycled.  Plastics are coded with a single digit ranging from 1-7 surrounded by a triangle of arrows on each plastic item.

The easiest and most common plastics to recycle are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) and are assigned with the number "1."  Examples include beverage bottles and medicine containers to name a few.  Once processed, PETE can become fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags or life jackets.  It may also become rope, car bumpers, combs, furniture and of course more plastic bottles.

Plastic Recycling Facts

• More than 2.4 billion pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in 2008. 
• Only 27% of plastic bottles are recycled properly.
• Plastics in the U.S. are made primarily (70 percent) from domestic natural gas.
• Plastic bags and product wraps are commonly recycled with the help of major retail stores.