Plastic recycling: what it is, why it’s important and how to do it

For many people, recycling is still a mystery. After all, what happens to plastic bottles after they go to the recycling bin? Which plastics can and can’t be recycled? Find out about the (not so) secret life of plastic and what happens after you sort your waste.

The recycling of plastic and other materials is the process of recovering waste and reintegrating it into society. In other words, it refers to the transformation of plastic used in products and packaging at the end of its life into new products and packaging, from shoes to fuel or even energy.

This process starts with a simple yet very powerful action: sorting through household rubbish – something that depends entirely on each person’s habits. Despite much talk about the importance of recycling, only 9% of plastic is recycled. The vast majority, around 79% of plastic, is incinerated or ends up polluting ecosystems.

Next, we’ll explain how plastic recycling works, what methods are used and how you can do your part at home. Start by watching this video:

Some separate plastic packaging from other types of plastic, others separate all plastic and metal from paper and glass, some others only separate recyclable materials from organic waste and send them to a sorting facility. Most commonly, there is a bin for plastic and packaging, another for paper and cardboard, another for glass and a bin for undifferentiated household waste. Whatever the way your country does it, you’ll be on the right track if you separate your rubbish at home and put it in the appropriate recycling bins.

To summarise the video above, plastic recycling involves five essential steps:

1. Put the plastic in the yellow recycling bin – without this step, none of the following are possible;
2. After being collected, the plastic is sent to sorting centres;
3. At these centres, the various types of plastic are separated to select those that can and cannot be recycled (this is how metal is separated and aluminium is not lost among plastic bags and bottles);
4. Once the materials have been sorted, the washing and drying process begins – labels and adhesives are removed, as well as dirt and food waste – and the extrusion process, through which the plastic material is transformed into granules;
5. It is this granulate that is sold to the plastics processing industry so that it can be used as a raw material for other products. And the magic happens.

There are two main methods of ensuring proper plastic recycling:

• Mechanical Recycling

  Plastic gets separated, washed and shredded into little pieces, ready to be processed. Extruding is the next step, which basically means that all those small plastic pieces are then melted and cooled to create pellets: little spheres of recycled plastic.
  Those magic pellets, that resulted from the blend of several old plastic packages, are now ready to be turned into new ones, by being melted and moulded. To create hollow pieces, such as water bottles, the pellets are heated and air-pressed into a mould to take the shape of the desired object.
  Hey, look! What used to be a water bottle is now a stapler. How cool is that?

• Chemical Recycling

  Nerd moment of the day (there is no other way of putting it): complex molecules present in plastics (polymers) are broken down into simpler ones (monomers), using chemicals or forcing the decomposition of plastics into gas, liquid and solid products, which are then used to produce new fuels or chemicals.

Although crucial for the sustainability of the planet, the preservation of ecosystems and waste management, plastic recycling can have some limitations:

• Variety of plastics

  There are many types of plastic, each with different properties and recycling requirements. The mixing of these materials, or the degradation of their physical and chemical properties, can make recycling less efficient or even unfeasible. This is why ecodesign processes favour the use of fewer materials in a single package.

• Infrastructure and logistics

  Plastic recycling requires adequate infrastructure for collection, sorting and processing, and can have a higher value than producing virgin plastic. What’s more, there are regions of the world that lack these conditions, so many recyclable plastics end up in landfill sites or in the environment.

• Environmental and health impacts

  Some plastics contain chemical additives that can be harmful to the environment and health. There is also the release of microplastics resulting from recycling, which can end up in water, air or even food.

The plastics that can’t be recycled will undergo an Energy Recovery process that transforms them into thermal and electric energy. By incineration, that is, burning, plastics break down to three possible by-products: energy, solid waste and gas emissions.

This method is mostly used for plastics that are too damaged, dirty or difficult to separate from other kinds of plastic, following very strict rules and rigorous protocols to ensure the equipment used in burning and filtering are effective and prevent the release of toxins into the atmosphere.

Small gestures such as sorting and disposing of waste correctly can help reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill sites and the environment.

1. Separate plastic waste

   Your kitchen doesn’t have a small recycling bin? It’s time to take care of that. Separate plastics from other types of waste (organic, paper, glass, etc.) to make it easier to recycle and then put them in the yellow recycling bin closest to your home.

2. Reduce the use of plastic

   Did you know you can shop without disposable plastic? Favour reusable bags, water bottles and containers over disposable plastic options. If you have to buy or use plastic products, opt for recycled plastic and put them in the yellow recycling bin.

3. Reuse materials with creativity

   Give disposable plastic containers and packaging a second life. Turn them into useful objects such as plant pots, organisers, craft or DIY projects. With the right amount of creativity, you can reduce the need for disposal.

4. Join recycling initiatives in your community

   Check your local council’s website to find out what community clean-ups are planned to collect plastics and other waste and join in. In summer, for example, it’s common for volunteer groups to clean up beaches, parks and streets.

5. Set the example

   Demonstrate recycling habits at home, during your holidays and anywhere else, promoting a fun, daily family activity. You’ll also be contributing to a new generation that is more aware and active in protecting the planet.

After this commonly unknown path of plastic, its new life is starting. New raw materials from plastic recycling are transformed, shaped and reinvented, ending up as a variety of materials and objects we use daily.

If sorted correctly, separated and channelled to the right places, plastic can have a much more interesting and useful life, much less harmful for the environment. Paper, glass, metal and plastic recycling, among others, is a necessary step towards a more circular economy – as circular as the Earth.

• In 2023, the Jerónimo Martins Group sent 85% of all waste produced to recovery?
• Plastics bags used in Pingo Doce and Biedronka are made with 85% post-consumer recycled plastic and are 100% recyclable as well?
• Both Biedronka and Pingo Doce sell a washing dish liquid dedicated to the oceans, made with 89% post-consumer plastic, being the remaining 11% recovered marine litter? But there are many more examples of packaging that has been eco-designed. Look for the label on your next trip to the supermarket.