• What are plastics made from?

    Plastics consist of building blocks called hydrocarbons, typically derived from petroleum or natural gas. These monomers (small molecules) are bonded into chains called polymers or plastic resins. Different combinations of monomers yield resins with special properties and characteristics.

  • Why are plastics used in packaging?

    Packaging serves many purposes, but one of its primary functions is to contain and protect the goods that it carries. Plastics are a versatile family of materials that are suitable for a wide range of packaging applications. In many cases, plastics offer the best protection while using minimal resources and creating less waste than alternative materials. In fact, 400 percent more material by weight would be needed to make packaging if there were no plastics, while the volume of packaging would more than double.

  • Why do we need different kinds of plastics?

    Copper, silver and aluminum are all metals and each has unique properties. You wouldn't make a car out of silver or a beer can out of copper because the properties of these metals are not chemically or physically able to create the most effective final product, or the cost of the specific material is too great. Likewise, while plastics are all related, each resin has attributes that make it best suited to a particular application. Plastics make this possible because as a material family they are so versatile.

  • Why are plastics used in durable goods?

    Manufactured items with a useful life of more than three years -- cars, appliances, computers, etc., are called durable goods. Manufacturers of durable goods choose plastics for many reasons. The automotive industry chooses plastic for its durability, corrosion resistance, ease of coloring and finishing, resiliency, energy efficiency, lightness of weight and cost effectiveness. Lightness of weight, for instance, translates into lowered handling and transportation costs all down the line. Major appliance manufacturers use plastics because of their ease of fabrication and outstanding thermal insulation, characteristics that significantly reduce energy consumption. The building and construction industry uses vinyl siding for homes because of its appearance, durability, ease of installation and energy efficiency. Plastics can reduce energy consumption for the auto, appliance, and building and construction industries, providing a substantial saving in production costs.

  • Can plastics help save energy?

    Yes. Plastic bags require about one-third less energy to make than paper bags. Foam polystyrene containers take 30 percent less total energy to make than paperboard containers. Fifty-three billion kilowatt hours of electricity are saved annually by improvements in major appliance energy efficiency made possible by plastic applications. Without the benefits provided by plastics insulation, these appliances would use up to billions of kW more energy.

  • What would happen to energy consumption if plastic packaging were replaced with alternatives?

    The estimated cost of packaging, both environmental and financial, if plastic did not exist is reckoned to be double that of plastic packaging today. A 1992 study found that by using plastic packaging rather than alternatives such as glass, paper or metal, American manufacturers saved 336 trillion Btu. This is a difference equivalent to 58 million barrels of oil, 325 billion cubic feet of natural gas or 32 billion pounds of coal. 

  • Can some plastics be used more than once before disposal?

    One of plastic's most valuable and sustainable properties is its durability. This durability enables plastic to be reused over and over. Reuse of plastics also helps offset waste disposal costs and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. More than 1,400 quality products made with or packaged in post-consumer recycled plastics are now commercially available, including consumer white goods, garden furniture, clothing, grocery bags, detergent containers and children's toys.

  • What is recovery?

    Recovery is the process of obtaining materials or energy resources from solid waste. Recovered plastics are recycled into a wide variety of new products. Plastics that are too contaminated for reuse in plastic products can be used as fuel. Waste containing plastic, paper and other materials is pressed into fuel pellets and then used in conjunction with coal and other fuels in industrial boilers and utility plants.

  • How does plastics recycling work?

    Successful recovery of plastics requires an infrastructure that can get plastics from the consumer to the recycling facility and back into use as new products as cost effectively as possible. The plastics recycling infrastructure has three distinct parts in the vertical:
    Collection- Plastics (primarily PET, LDPE and HDPE) are collected for recycling. Curbside collections assemble plastics along with other materials and delivered to specialized recyclers (such as Filmco) following segregation at Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs). Plastics from agricultural plastics collection programs are assembled and delivered is lose form to specialized recyclers are the first step in the recycling process. This is the first step in the recycling process.
    Reclamation- In conventional recycling, sorted plastics are shredded, washed and converted into flakes or pellets that are then processed into new products. [Advanced recycling technologies can take plastics back to their original building blocks. These can then be recycled into a number of different products, including “new” plastics if desired.]
    End-use- Reclaimed plastic pellets or flakes are used to manufacture plastic products.

  • Why is sorting so important in plastics recycling?

    Each of the six common packaging plastics has performance characteristics that make it best suited for specific applications. Purchasers of recycled resins want to be sure that these properties are retained, so handlers sort plastics by resin type to command the highest market value.

  • What can I recycle?

    At Filmco we focus on Polyethylenes, the most common plastic used today. Polyethylene is used in the manufacturer of plastic bags, cling wrap, silage films, bin liners, building materials, heavy containers etc. Filmco also accepts mixed color LDPE, from 95:5, 90:10 down to 50:50. LDPE is color sorted, washed and dried for subsequent pellet manufacture.

  • What kinds of products are made with recycled plastics?
    The variety of products made with recycled plastics is growing. Here are just a few examples:
    • Recycled PET can be used in producing deli and bakery trays, carpets, clothing and textiles.
    • Recycled HDPE can become bottles for laundry products, recycling bins, agricultural pipe, bags, motor oil bottles, decking and marine pilings.
    • Recycled LDPE can be used to manufacture bags, agricultural and horticultural films, building materials and storage bins.
    • Recycled PP can be used in car parts, carpets, battery casings, textiles, industrial fibers and films used for product packaging.
  • Can plastic be recycled back into food contact applications?

    Today, some recycled plastics are used in food and beverage containers. Filmco does not recycle plastic packaging for direct contact with food but we have a working relationship with Marcio Amazonas, formerly of Coca Cola, Marcio is based in the US and considered a leading beverage industry and PET recycling expert.