Plastic wastes generation

The amount of plastic waste generated is still considerably less than that of plastics produced in numerous applications (building, furniture, appliances) plastics meet longterm requirements before their disposal and therefore do not yet occur in the waste stream in big quantities. The majority of plastic wastes are found in municipal solid waste (MSW), as well as in waste streams arising in distribution, agriculture, construction and demolition, furniture and household ware, automotive, electronic and electrical, or medical applications. For a number of years the APME has ordered studies to be made that compile inventories of on the one hand production figures, on the other waste arising, by resin, country, and application and activity. 

Due to the extensive use of plastics in packaging, most of the plastics waste is found in domestic refuse. Table 1.3 summarizes the plastics waste generated by... 

Table 10.2 Plastic waste generation classified by end use (from Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering , Vol. 5, John Wiley, 1986, p. 105)...

Fig. 2 Fiber-reinforced plastic waste generation in western Europe from automotive applications...

Development of new technologies and systems for the collection, sorting, and reprocessing methods of plastic wastes generated new opportunities for recycling. 

The applications of recycled plastics into development of new value-added products have a lot of attention. The possibility of using plastic waste in the development of composites is very attractive, especially with respect to the large quantity of plastic waste generated daily. 

Plastics Waste generation short tons Percent waste generation (%) Percent recovery of waste (%) Recovery rate (%)... 

Plastics waste management does not exist in a vacuum waste plastics are affected by and impact upon many different aspects of national life, i.e., there is a balance between the utilisation of plastics waste and its production and processing. The majority of plastics waste generation is related to material comfort items however, recycling/ reuse initiatives for mixed plastics are limited [1]. 

Waste generators are responsible for their waste, which is a very important aspect for plastics waste. Generators of waste must be assumed to have adequate knowledge of its composition, form, and of the potential hazards to public health and the environment, to ensure disposal of the waste is not detrimental to the environment. The waste generator is responsible for ensuring that only appropriate disposal methods are used for their waste. 

Construction and demolition waste in the USA reaches approximately 143 million tonnes and according to the Waste Business Journal , only 25% of that waste is recycled. In fact, 40% of all waste in landfill is construction and demolition waste. The plastics waste generated by construction and demolition projects includes vinyl sidings, doors, windows, floor tiles and pipes [11]. 

Reduce/avoid plastics waste generation by using an efficient manufacturing process. 

The second and the biggest source of plastic wastes generation, which creates the real problem, is termed post-consumer wastes . Three kinds of wastes are generated municipal, agricultural, and uncontrolled plastic wastes. The last group of plastic wastes must not be considered in the sense of a technical problem because they can only be avoided due to common consent of users of public... 

The worldwide increasing demand of polymeric materials and plastics will certainly offer room to options for tailor-made materials obtainable from renewable resources. These have the potential to reduce the burden associated with plastic waste generation and their associated greenhouse gases. 

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