Eli5 why are so few plastics recyclable? Why cant you just melt it down and reuse it like glass?
In: 468
Not an expert here but I remember it being explained this way: if you have a 2L bottle – the strands of plastic are as long as that bottle – say 14-inches. You can melt it down but those “strands” can’t be lengthened to make something longer / bigger than those original 14” strands. So the recycled material is only really usable as a filler etc. Though there are some companies that are burning recycled plastic to generate electricity.
Latest Answers