In 2018, Spain exceeded the target set by the European Union for 2025 in terms of packaging recycling. In fact, adding those used in households, commercial and industrial packaging, our country reached 50% of the total at that time. This figure is increasing steadily and is reflected in the increasing use of recycled and recyclable polymers in beach and camping articles. Plásticos Alser would like to talk to you about the characteristics of this recycled and recyclable material.
The characteristics of recyclable and recycled plastic containers
The aim of recycling any material is none other than to reduce the use of raw materials. Generally, it is necessary to use more energy to work on them than if they have already been used once or more times. In the case of a material as polluting and harmful to the environment as plastic, this is essential.
At Plásticos Alser we have been applying the latest technologies since 1977, such as densimetric separation to recycle plastic packaging.
This translates into a series of features that you can enjoy as a user:
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Quality. Most plastics can be recycled an unlimited number of times without affecting their properties. In other words, they offer exactly the same performance in terms of impermeability, density and weight as when they were first used.
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Saving energy and resources. The use of plastic has been key to the development of civilisation in recent decades. However, today we know that it has a very negative impact on the environment. In order not to renounce its use, it is essential to reuse it as many times as possible.
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Properties. Recycled plastic can be given exactly the same qualities as if it had just been obtained from its raw material, which is petroleum. How? By adding additives that increase its resistance to impact, fire or electrical and thermal conductivity. It is also possible to modify its shine and colour. A good example is offered by chairs, tables and other camping utensils, which are able to withstand high temperatures and offer excellent resistance.
The importance of plastic recycling today
These additives have no effect on the future quality of the plastic once it has been discarded and is to be reused after it has passed through a recycling plant. Just take a look, for example, at garden irrigation pipes or the buckets and spades we use on the beach during the summer. Virtually all of these items are made from recycled plastic.
To give you an idea, recycling packaging costs 95% less energy than using virgin materials. It also saves 86% of water. In this sense, in a country with as many problems related to water resources as Spain, recycling plastic and other materials has saved more than 400 million cubic metres of fresh water since 1998.
In short, reusing plastic to make recycled packaging is not a whim. It is an action that cares for the environment, reduces energy and water consumption and helps the country’s economic development. At Plásticos Alser, as we are pioneers in this field, we know this very well.
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