Plastic

What is Plastic Used For?

  • Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials today.
    • Clothes (fleece)
    • Packaging (75 million milk jugs and cartons are sold in the province each year)
    • Surgical stitches, Surf boards, Toys, Furniture, Drain pipes, Compost bins, Shopping bags, and Even parts of cars and spaceships
  • There are over 50 different types of plastic.
  • Plastic is light, strong, and doesn't break easily.




How is Plastic Made?

  • Plastic is made from oil, natural gas, coal, and salt.
  • Oil comes from deep inside the Earth.
  • Oil supplies will not last forever, which is why we need to recycle.




Save Plastic!
Don't throw it away!

Recycling Plastic

Centra Cam Recycling Depot in Camrose collects only one kind of used plastic containers. The plastic that is collected at the depot is number 2 plastic.






YOU TRY IT!
Look on the bottom of a plastic bottle. Find the recycling symbol. There will be a number inside the recycling symbol. If there is a number 2, the plastic bottle can be taken to Centra Cam for recycling.




What to Do:

  • Look inside the recycling symbol on the bottom of the container. Only number 2 plastic is recycled at Centra Cam Recycling Depot.
  • Rinse the containers so they won't smell.
  • Remove the lids.
  • For fun, you can flatten the container.
  • Put the container in the correct plastic collection bin at the recycling depot.




What Happens Next?

  • Plastic is collected.
  • Milk jugs are chipped and washed.
  • Clean chipped plastic is then melted at high temperature and formed into pellets.
  • The pellets are sold to plastic forming plants which use the material to make non-food containers, toys, furniture, puck board, compost bins, picnic tables, decks, plastic detergent bottles, pipes, and oil pails.






Facts

  • Only number 2 plastics are recycled in Camrose.
  • High-density polyethylene plastic (HDPE) is one of the most versatile plastic resins and one of the most valuable plastics for recycling.
  • In Alberta there are 75 million milk jugs and cartons sold each year.
  • In Alberta there are several plastic recycling facilities that convert scrap milk jugs back into usable plastic.


Do you have any number 2 plastic that you can give to the recycling depot? When you collect plastic it does not go into the landfill. It will be made into something new.

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