It seems like everywhere you look today someone has something bad to say about plastics. But what about all of the great things that plastic has made possible? In this article we will discuss some of the properties of common plastics that make them extremely efficient materials and explain why respect for plastic is important.
Durability
Plastic is durable. A key benefit of using plastic packaging is its durability, reliability and availability. Plastic packaging has generated a multitude of packaging innovations across a variety of industry sectors because of its durability.
Weight
Plastics are lighter than conventional materials and therefore contribute less to the overall weight of the packages and products they are part of. This means that companies can transport more product with less fuel, and therefore less emissions. This efficiency is compounded when plastic components are used as part of the moving vehicles themselves, plastic parts in cars save weight and therefore increase fuel-efficiency.
Water Resistance
Even some of the most environmentally sensitive activities make use of plastics incredible ability to resist water. How many times have you been hiking and used a big garbage bag to keep all of your stuff dry inside your pack? The ability for such thin films to do so much for keeping things dry is truly remarkable.
Recycling Efficiency
Recycling efficiency is a description of how much easier it is to make something from recycled feedstock rather than raw materials. Polystyrene is one plastic that is almost 90% easier to make from recycled materials than new ones. Plastics suffer in one aspect with regards to recycling efficiency as there is always a small degree of loss. Metals on the other hand can be recycled nearly infinitely, and aluminium takes the cake here as recycled aluminium only requires 4% of the energy to produce aluminium from raw materials.
Respect Plastic
As we have pointed out so far in this article plastic has many impressive properties. Crucially, respecting plastic means only using as much as you require for a particular task and disposing of it in the environmentally responsible manner. Rather than throwing it away because it is cheap, consider whether you have access to an effective way to reuse the product or any waste. Failing that, take the time and effort to recycle it correctly. Disrespecting plastic and conflating its cheapness with rampant disposability has been one of the major drivers of plastic pollution globally. Responsible producers of plastic have a duty to inform their consumers to treat their products with respect.
Contact Dolphin Plastic to Organise Plastic for Your Business
Dolphin Plastics are one of Queensland’s leading suppliers of plastic film and packaging for all variety of business applications including heavy duty building, medical and industrial applications. Call us today on 07 5493 4133 or contact us online to find out how our products can help you.
