It is widely thought that people should be able to recycle plastics in their own homes. New technology has been developed that could mean that some new-build technologies would come with this function already installed. The UK waste management agency, BusinessWaste.co.uk feels that the technology already exists to allow plastics to be pelleted or turned into other useful items.
The Waste management agency has said that while the technology would not be suitable for use in every home, its development could be a major leap towards making the UK a 100% recycling economy. Business Waste.co.uk spokesperson, Mark Hall said that at the moment this idea is at the early adopters’ stage however there is the potential for this system to grow very big.
Most plastic recycling is carried out by big companies, and this process involves collecting the waste plastic from homes and industry before shredding and processing it. This process has been developed in order to allow domestic plastic shredders, similar to the capabilities offered by household kitchen waste disposals. If this solution was developed, the householders will be left with a sorted and pelleted plastic waste, which can then be used to sell back to companies or used for the householder’s own purposes. One of the domestic uses that have been suggested for these pellets is raw material for 3-D printers.
Mark Hall has said he heels there is a future where householders will be able to toss any unwanted plastics down a chute that is installed in their kitchen, and it is then shredded and collected “behind the scene” with a non-invasive service. To begin with, this solution could be offered to executive homes to begin with before being adopted more generally across the housebuilding. The technology to offer this solution is available and getting cheaper by the day.
