Understand recycling, Bio sourced, Biodegradable and Compostable plastics

Plastics need to be broken down into 2 sectors, plastic which can be recycled and single use plastics. Single use plastic needs to be removed from the world as quick as possible. Whereas plastic which can be recycled are here to stay, with plastic contributing up to 50% of the volume of the average modern car along with most other goods. There are 4 types of material currently available, 3 have “greener” credentials. 1. Prime materials (new material) 2. Recycling existing plastics (reprocessed or reusing) 3. Bio sourced plastics. 4. Biodegradable and Compostable plastics Recycling existing plastic is broken down into 3 areas. (Recycling may not work for all types of plastics or all applications) • In house recycling - during the manufacturing process the waste and rejected components are reground and reused. This is by far the greenest option as it requires the smallest amount of energy. This of course depends on the material application and the ratio of recycled material can vary from 5 to 100%. We do this at Clamcleats Ltd. • Post industrial and post-consumer recycling - recycled material and waste are sent to a reprocessing center where they are reground, tested, blended, and resold. • Chemical recycling or Natural balance - the scrap is broken down into its original monomer and reused in the making of new material up to 30%. Bio sourced plastics which are made from raw organic matter such as starch or sugar. • Bio sourced plastics are not made from petroleum but are made by extracting sugar or cellulose from plants including sugarcane or corn etc. • Commonly used in food packaging or medical devices. Biodegradable and compostable plastics • Not all Bio sourced plastics are Biodegradable or compostable and there are some petroleum-based plastics which are either biodegradable or compostable. • All compostable plastics are biodegradable but not all biodegradable plastics would be considered compostable. • Biodegradable plastic needs to be disposed of properly and the natural breakdown of the plastic will not occur unless managed correctly. • There are different levels of compostable approval including industrial, home and soil. The industrial compostable material requires commercial compostable conditions and is very unlikely to break down in applications a soil compostable is much more likely too. The soil compostable material biodegrades over a certain period of time and leaves no toxic resin in the soil. To conclude, it is important when designing a product, component, and mould tool to decide which material you want to use at a very early stage, how this will affect your carbon footprint and not as an afterthought. Biodegradable and compostable products in most applications do not have a shorter shelf life and will only start to break down once in the right controlled environment. During our cleat production we recycle 100% of our waste material "in house", using up to 25% recycled material for each cleat. At every stage of the design and manufacturing process our environmental impact is recorded and becomes part of the decision making process. "We can all make a difference"