Why You Should Sell Your Plastic for Recycling

Posted by Seraphim Plastics LLC on October 21st, 2019

No matter where we are or where we go, we find plastic in large amounts. Plastic can be found in the makeup of different materials in your home, at your work, in stores, and more. It is this abundance of plastic, and it’s versatile use, that makes the need to recycle your plastic even greater. Here are some reasons why you should consider selling plastic scrap in Michigan, for the purpose of recycling. 

90% of Ocean Waste is Plastic

Not only is plastic a great problem at landfills, for various reasons, but it is also a big problem for the oceans. Nearly 90% of ocean waste is plastic. This equates to roughly 46,000 plastic chunks every square mile.

With these staggering numbers, it is no wonder over 100,000 sea animals die every year from plastic pollution. On top of this, over one million seabirds die annually from the repercussions of plastic pollution. Also, sea turtles, numerous fish, 22% of crustaceans, and 44% of seabirds are said to have harmful plastic in their bodies.

Plastic Takes 500 - 1000 Years to Break Down

Part of the reason that plastic is such a huge problem for landfills is because of how long it takes to break down. Plastic can take anywhere from 500-1000 years to break back down into a natural resource. Plastic laying around in landfills can clog up a bunch of necessary space. There are a few methods many use to dispose of their plastic, and neither is ideal. 

The first one is by sending the plastic to a garbage processing facility. Unless the facility specifically recycles the plastic, the abundance of plastic can overwhelm the facility. A second method of disposal that some choose, is by burning the plastic. This is not ideal as burning plastic is detrimental to the environment. A third method, is by releasing plastic into the ocean. After previously seeing how plastic in the ocean negatively affects marine life, we know multiple reasons why this is not the best option.

Plastic Makes Up 12% of Solid Waste Disposal

As slow as plastic is to break down, you may be surprised to know that it also makes up more than 12% of all solid waste disposal. This is huge! This is approximately 30 million tons of plastic being added to landfills every year.

If you have plastic waste you are looking to dispose of, consider selling plastic scrap in Michigan.