Plastic Balers and recycling
A full 10% of all the plastics manufactured in the world today are floating in a huge biomass just off the coast of Hawaii! Shocking? – IT SHOULD BE! Unsalvageable and becoming larger every day, this biomass of water bottles, toys, packaging materials, eyeglass frames and just about any type of plastic products you can think of is collected by strong currents around the Pacific Ocean and swirled into a caustic pile of debris that will not decay for another 10,000 years or so. And all this “stuff” is being ingested by fish, birds and other wildlife in and around Hawaii. (Watch theYoutube video using the link below for more information) What can we do to slow down this growing mess? RECYCLE!
Dead Laysan Albatross Chick floating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yom6zlm5VqE
Balers are readily available and recyclers are anxious to receive raw plastic material that can be sorted, shredded, and remanufactured into pellets that can be re-melted into extruded plastic bottles, toys, packaging materials, eyeglass frames, and just about any other type of plastic products you can think of. Balers generally compress discarded plastic into large 1,000 lb bales which can be tied off, stacked, and shipped to local recyclers who process this waste product into something usable. Generally the plastic is shredded and then melted into small pellets which can then be sold to manufacturers of plastic products for re-use. AND THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THIS RECYCLING CYCLE.! Plastic can be used over and over and over again which saves time and money and helps saves the planet in the process.
So what is the cost of all this recycling? NOTHING! Yes, I said NOTHING! Recycled plastic has a value and therefore has a positive net worth. Plastic manufacturers will pay for recycled plastic since it costs less than new plastic but looks and acts identically in the manufacturing process. Since there is a buyer for recycled plastic, recyclers will pay to receive the raw used plastic from waste haulers. Waste haulers in turn will pay for plastics from industrial or commercial firms who dispose of plastic they receive from their suppliers. The only catch to commercial or industrial firms who have a lot of plastic is that it must be baled. 
But the value of the recycled plastic is far greater than the cost of the baler and in many cases the cost of the baler can be recouped in less than a year. With a shelf life of a baler generally surpassing 20 years, the net value of buying a baler is 10 to 20 times the initial cost of the baler. So recycling plastic pays for itself over and over and over again. Astute plant managers can add to their bottom line buy recycling!
So why don’t manufacturers recycle more? Many owners and plant managers don’t know about the value of recycling. Waste products have always been a part of the manufacturing or distribution process and the cost of disposing that “garbage” has long been a substantial traditional cost of running a business. So long in fact that many businesses simply ignore the problem and pay the price.
But to quote a recent presidential candidate “It’s time for a change.” It is time for people to wake up and see that we need significant change in our attitude toward waste products. Each of us holds a piece of the recycling puzzle and we all need to step up and put our piece into position. Many communities have established recycling programs for individuals, not enough has been done in the industrial and manufacturing markets. Recycling doesn’t cost, it pays!
Government can do a lot to help as well. Right now the only incentives that have been established for companies are negative incentives, i.e. higher landfill costs, etc. I am not calling for major tax credits for companies who recycle, but I am talking about someone, anyone out there in government talking about waste products and the handling of plastics in particular. Plastics are generally made of oil. By not throwing our waste “oil” away to end up floating in the Pacific Ocean (or any other ocean for that matter) we can save significant amounts of imported oil which are used to make new plastic.
It’s time for a change – please someone notice!
