Why we need to recycle plastic

In a recent article for Forbes, Trevor Nace, geologist, adventurer, and founder of Science Trends, expressed his concern about not recycling plastic. Worldwide people buy a million plastic bottles per minute and the 91% of them end up in the garbage.

The consequences for our land, water, and wildlife are disastrous. Throwing away plastic bottles, instead of recycling them, means that most plastic ends up in landfills or in the oceans. Many landfills are already overcrowded and take up space that could be used for other purposes. Landfill waste also releases pollutants into the soil and water. Ocean animals are continuously ingesting small bits of residual plastic, which in turn end up in our dishes.

Plastic waste has a negative economic impact as well because much of it could be repurposed and reused. As plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years and quadruple by 2050, and that plastic takes between 400 and 1,000 years to decompose, it is essential to address the problem as soon as possible.

Trying to increase recycling is fundamental for at least two reasons:

• Recycling takes 88% less energy than making plastic from raw materials while helping reducing fossil fuel consumption;
• Diverting discarded plastics from the refuse stream and turning them into new goods keeps these persistent materials out of landfills and the natural environment.

That’s why Geoplast has chosen to manufacture regenerated plastic products for the building industry since 1974. Each year over 25.000 tons of recycled plastic material is processed and transformed into solutions which are employed in an amazing variety of projects: from bridges to parking lots, from university buildings to private homes.