Wearing plastic bottles

Photo: Contributed

Are you wearing a former plastic bottle? You could be, if you’re wearing a fleece jacket or vest. Fleece clothing is made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate — or PET. But how does a plastic bottle go from your recycling to a cozy new fleece jacket? 

After your recycling is collected, it’s sorted with similar materials and compacted into bales. It’s important that bales consist of only the same material to optimize their recyclability. Bales are sold to material remanufacturers who process the contents into something that can be used again. For example, bales of PET are shredded, washed, and pelletized.

These pellets are heated and spun into fibres, which are then processed into fleece clothing and other new products. Fewer new resources are required in the manufacturing process when starting with recycled materials. 

There are many different end-uses for plastic containers, which depends on the type of plastic. Milk jugs — high-density polyethylene — are used in new packaging for shampoo or detergent bottles. Plastic bags — polyethylene — are used in plastic decking. Margarine tubs — polypropylene — are used to make storage bins. Each of these plastic types — or resins — follows a similar process of being shredded, washed and pelletized before they can be used again.

Metal cans continue on to become new products or new cans. In fact, anything made from steel in North America has some recycled content, and recycling metal uses less energy than producing new metal. That means your empty can of peaches could re-enter your home when you replace your next appliance. Like plastics, metals need to be sorted into different types. Once sorted, the metal packaging is shredded and smelted. It can then be rolled into sheets, wire, or bar, and used to make new cans, car parts, or construction materials.

Paper is pulped and pressed into fibres that become cereal boxes, egg cartons, and cardboard boxes depending on the mix of papers.

Recycling residential packaging and printed paper in British Columbia is made possible by Multi-Material BC (MMBC), a non-profit organization that collects fees from the retailers, manufacturers, and other companies that sell or provide packaging and printed paper to residents. MMBC manages the recycling and collection of the packaging and printed paper on behalf of these companies removing the financial burden from municipalities. This is called extended producer responsibility, or EPR.

There are over 20 EPR programs in BC, for materials such as tires, batteries, lights, electronics, and more, each of which provides BC residents with management options and avoid disposal, filling up landfills. Help give your packaging and printed paper a second life by recycling it.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.