Plastic bags have been tormenting the environment for many years. Indeed, there have been changes and updates to production, use and disposal regulations regarding plastic bags but the problem persists and has even become a major issue in some countries despite all the steps in the right direction.
Southwark Council has attempted to tackle this major problem through a new plastic bag rubbish removal and disposal initiative about to be implemented very soon. The new collection initiative couldn’t come at a better time as at the moment, England alone uses and disposes of eight billion plastic bags each year.
The program is called Bag2Bag and involves new collection and processing methods which should make disposal and recycling of plastic bag waste more efficient. On grass root level i.e. collection stage, the initiative is run by solid municipal waste removal company called Veolia. As part of the program Southwark Council’s waste processing facility will feature a specialised collection point where all plastic bag waste is deposited for further processing. Once enough plastic bag waste has been collected at the treatment facility, a plastics manufacturer by the name of CeDo will step in for the actual recycling process.
The recycling technology to which discarded plastic bags will be subjected is simple and efficient. At specialised treatment facilities, plastic bag waste is first washed and sanitised then shredded into pellets using high output equipment. Next the pellets are blown into bubbles of plastic film which is the main form of input for production of recycled plastic bags.
The Bag2Bag initiative is expected to be in full swing within the next three months. The first batch of recycled plastic bags (for different purposes) will be made available to local residents by Southwark Borough Council very soon. Unfortunately though, still very few local and borough councils have plastic bag collection and recycling policies in place.
In the Netherlands – trendsetter country in waste management and recycling, engineers are hard at work on a scheme that will use waste plastics as alternative material in construction of asphalt roads. The PlasticRoad Project offers a road design which is basically a hollow section of road which is both highly durable and efficient. The top side of the panel is obviously used by traffic, and the hollow spaces inside the road section panel are used for running cables, pipework, drainage etc. As per designers and engineers engaged in the PlasticRoad project, the design is exceptional quality and practicality.
The road sections or panels cost a fraction of the usual road construction expenses. Furthermore, they reduce construction time to a minimum and are virtually maintenance-free. The plastic road panels or sections are extremely durable, lightweight and offer three times the normal lifespan of tarmac or asphalt roads. The plastic road sections will be factory pre-made which makes construction more efficient and budget-friendly. More so, the new road panel design is extremely resilient, preserving its strength and grip properties (important for traffic) in extreme temperatures from minus forty degrees centigrade to plus eighty degrees centigrade.