Plastic was designed to last, but almost half of the plastic materials produced worldwide is intended for single-use, meaning that they have a real life cycle of minutes, hours or days, but persist in the environment for more than 400 years until they degrade.
Plastic is responsible for the deaths of thousands of marine animals every year, besides affecting the reproductive cycle of several species, including turtles, fish and seabirds. It represents a serious problem and many cities have already banned the use of single-use plastics, such as straws and plastic cups.
Around 1 million plastic bottles are estimated to be purchased every minute, but less than half are properly disposed for recycling and just a few are converted into new material. That is why sorting our own waste for recycling and adopting recycled and post-consumer resin (PCR) materials are so important!
PCR plastic derives from water bottles and other PET materials that have expired their life cycle and were discarded and collected for recycling. When handled properly, recycled plastics have the potential to become a new product, a new packaging, accessories and even clothing.
Furthermore, plastic recycling helps to save energy by consuming only a fraction of the energy petrochemical plants would use to produce new plastic, and decreases the emission of greenhouse gases, preventing more than 60% of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
Our daily choices affect the whole ecosystem around us. Taking care of the waste we produce is our responsibility too!
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