Under the weight of garbage

“Don't be a pig.” That’s what I want to say every time I see  someone who doesn’t throw a cigarette butt in the bin leaves trash on the beach and just doesn't bother about the cleanliness of the environment. Although making the ecology cleaner, preventing the mass extinction of many living organisms and preventing the development of deadly diseases is in the hands and within the power of each of us! In some countries, there are protests over garbage.

Be conscious, take responsibility, and at least start by sorting your trash. Read our eco-review for tips on how to do it correctly, how to train yourself to sort household waste at home and where to take it for recycling and disposal.

Splitting and sorting format - why it matters

Today, absolutely all mass media are trying to draw public attention to the issue of the rapidly approaching ecological disaster. Rotting debris, evaporating harmful substances, and non-decomposing plastic for centuries kills everything around. But we can try to reduce the threat. 

Instead of taking care of our health, we continue to poison ourselves en masse, while annually sending millions of euros to neighboring countries - a tax on laziness, indifference and indifference.

What part can each of us do to improve a picture that is far from ideal? Start sorting your trash. This is an easy process. It is enough to take away everything of value that can be secondary raw materials. They even developed special containers for collection in the form of a black plastic bin.

Rules for the collection and sorting of household waste

The fact that you have decided to live in a “zero waste” style and sort recyclables is great! It only remains to find out how to do it correctly because the colors of plastic bottles and the type of PET matter, and some waste, for example, ceramics, cannot be recycled at all. 

How plastic is sorted

Over the past 68 years, the world has produced about 6.3 billion tons of plastic, of which only 9% is recycled, and 12% is incinerated. Plastic burials are a scourge with a terrifying threat to the health of all life on earth. This is why it is so important to sort and recycle plastic. But it is also important to know what kind of material is subject to "reincarnation."

To do this, be guided by the marking of the type of plastic (alphanumeric code in the triangle, "Mobius loop"), which bona fide manufacturers indicate on the packaging. At the same time, it is important to sort the plastic into separate types since each of them requires a certain temperature and processing conditions. 

PET (PETE) 01 - PET, polyethylene terephthalate - the most common material for the manufacture of plastic bottles (mineral water, beer, carbonated and other drinks, sunflower oil, including multi-liter bottles and bottles with a wide neck), as well as corrections (inserts in candy boxes ). PET is highly recyclable, being transformed at a processing plant or factory into a synthetic fiber suitable for sewing clothes, pillows, sewer pipes, paving slabs, Euro pallets, roof tiles and much more. In this case, the color of the container is very important. The most common colors are processed: colorless transparent, translucent blue, colored green and brown. White, yellow and black PET bottles are not recyclable! What's more, they are very easy to confuse with HDPE, so please read the packaging carefully before purchasing!

PE-HD (HDPE) 02 - LDPE, high pressure polyethylene - not the most durable plastic, but does not emit harmful substances in contact with food. It is used in the production of bags (thin, rustling packing bags and most of the "T-shirt" bags), food and other types of film, bottle caps, canisters, bottles for shampoos and other cosmetics, containers for household chemicals, mugs, tarpaulins.

PE-LD (LDPE) 04 - HDPE, low pressure polyethylene is a durable and strong plastic used for making pipes, dishes, lids, flasks, buckets and other household containers and accessories. Bags and films are also made of this material: shoppers, bags for fermented milk products, packaging for paper towels, toilet paper and other paper products, garbage bags, stretch, air bubble wrap. If there is no marking, try to determine the type of polyethylene yourself. The bags of the 4th type are soft to the touch, as if oily.

PP 05 - PP, polypropylene is an extreme plastic used for making packaging containers, stretch films, adhesive tape, stationery files, fibers, bags. Such a sign can often be found on plastic bottles for milk, kefir, ketchup, yoghurt cups, grocery packaging bags. This also includes shiny and crunchy PP 5 polypropylene bags that will not stretch if you try to tear them. But processing some of them can be difficult since a lot of dye, varnishes and a shiny inner layer are added to the opaque rustling wrappers from ice cream, chips, seeds, chocolate bars, cookies, nuts, and other things. You may have to look for recycling items that accept it, if not for recycling, then safe disposal. Alternatively, use alternative packaging: cardboard

Causes difficulties with processing:

84 C / PAP or PapAl - Tetra Pak, Elopak, SIG and similar aseptic cartons made of several layers of paper, foil and polyethylene.

Not recyclable:

PVC 03 - PVC, polyvinyl chloride - a rather dangerous type of plastic, which contains a large amount of toxic additives, such as phthalates and heavy metals. It is widely used in repair and construction: lining, siding, stretch ceilings, plastic windows, dashboards, armrests and glass holders in a car, as well as plastic cards, office parts, blisters, cans for bulk food products and fats. It practically cannot be processed, and when burned, it releases dangerous poisons into the air - dioxins.