Automotive Aftermarket's Green Story - (Page 13)

RECYCLING PLASTICS recycling 54% of companies (repair shops, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and jobbers) surveyed by AAIA indicated they recycle plastics. The recycling rate for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles is 37 percent and 28 percent respectively. Recovery of plastics for recycling is approximately 2.1 million tons annually.* Plastics are used to manufacture thousands of products. Packaging, which includes bottles, containers and cups, is the largest end-use market for plastics. Additionally, the use of lightweight plastics in vehicles has grown to approximately 330 pounds per vehicle. At present, over 50 percent of a vehicle’s volume is composed of plastics and plastic composites.** A wide range of products are made with the recycled content of plastics, including new food and beverage bottles, carpets, clothing, automobile parts, plastic lumber, bags, industrial ﬁbers and ofﬁce accessories. PLASTICS Environmental Impact Plastics are polymers composed primarily of petroleum. When plastics are recycled, this natural resource is preserved. Producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses 66 percent less energy than is required to make products from raw materials, and when recycled material is substituted for virgin material, greenhouse gas emissions are signiﬁcantly reduced. Recycling also reduces the amount of plastics in landﬁlls. For every ton of recycled plastics, 16.3 barrels of oil are saved. When a single plastic bottle is recycled, enough energy is conserved to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours. * Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/plastics.htm ** Plastics in Automotive Markets Technology Roadmap – A New Vision for the Road Ahead, March 2009, American Chemistry Council, Plastics Division. Other sources Society of the Plastics Industry, www.plasticsindustry.org EPA, http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/plastics.htm American Chemistry Council, www.americanchemistry.com/plastics Acumen Earth911, www.earth911.com Examples AAA – 12 million lbs. of plastic recycled from batteries; cleaned and melted into pellets used to manufacture new battery cases. The Automotive Aftermarket’s Green Story http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/plastics.htm http://www.plasticsindustry.org http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/plastics.htm http://www.americanchemistry.com/plastics http://www.earth911.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Aftermarket's Green Story

Automotive Aftermarket's Green Story
Recycling Engine Oil
Recycling Batteries
Remanufacturing Parts
Recycling Tires
Recycling Oil Filters
Recycling Wood Pallets
Recycling Cardboard and Paper
Recycling Parts Cleaning Solvents
Recycling Scrap Metal
Recycling Dunnage
Recycling Plastics
Recycling A/C Refrigerant

Automotive Aftermarket's Green Story