Environmental concerns with polymers

What concerns of disposing waste polymers are there

Many are non-biodegradable because they are unreactive this means they do not break down naturally and can build up in landfill sites and oceans, harming wildlife such as marine animals.

How are polymers recycled and what are the benefits

Benefits as:

• conserving fossil fuels

• reducing landfill waste

• lowering demand for crude oil

Recycling polymers includes sorting, cleaning, melting and then remoulding into new products

What is PVC recycling

• PVC is difficult to recycle because it contains high chlorine content and additives. Burning PVC releases toxic gases like hydrogen chlorine gas and toxic dioxins

• Newer recycling methods dissolve PVC in solvents so it can be recovered and reused more safely

How can polymers be used as fuel

Since many come from petroleum or natural gas, they can be burned as fuels to produce energy and electricity

What is feedstock recycling

Feedstock recycling uses chemical or thermal processes to break waste polymers into monomers, gas or oil which can then be used as raw materials to make new polymers or fuels. An advantage is that dirty or unsorted plastics can still be processed.

What are bioplastics and compostable polymers

• They are made of starch, cellulose, plants and proteins which is sustainable as not only do they not use renewable oil based plastics instead of crude oil reserves they can be broken down by microorganisms into water, carbon dioxide and biological compounds

• Compostable polymers break down without toxic residues ,are commonly used as alternatives to alkene-based plastics and are used in packaging, plates, cups, and trays

What are photodegradable polymers

They contain bonds weakened by absorbing light or include light-absorbing additives that speed up degradation