Plastic has been getting a bad press recently. The recent United States ban on plastic microbeads in cleaning products inspired Greenpeace to campaign for the British government to follow suit and ban them here as well. The campaign seems to be making an impact with many shares on social media platforms, but whether the government is listening and will do something remains to be seen. It is not just the tiny plastic particles that are the problem: plastic bags, balloons, wrapping paper, cigarette filters, compact discs, sweet wrappers and nylon all contribute to the pollution of our planet. How Much Plastic is Out There? Since the 1940s, when plastic production really increased in the aftermath of the Second World War, enough plastic has been produced that, were it all cling film, it could cover the surface of our planet. Sometimes it seems like we are trying to do this anyway. No habitat on Earth can now claim to be free from the irresponsible disposal of plastic. Where Does It All Wind Up? We throw away a lot of plastic. Over forty percent of the plastic gets a single use and then heads to landfill. Shockingly, a further thirty percent doesn't even get buried, it litters our landscapes and makes its way to the oceans where it has a hugely detrimental effect on fragile marine environments. Some plastic is burned in combustors designed to burn refuse and turn it into energy to power our homes. The Alternative The alternative is to recycle. The very nature of plastic lends itself to being melted down and reformed to make new products. Yet bizarrely only five percent of plastic waste gets treated this way. Nearly all plastics are recyclable. See our guide to the seven types of recyclable plastic for more information. Doing Our Bit At Coda Plastics Ltd, we believe that plastic is a fantastic resource material and hate to see it being wasted. We recycle our own waste plastics and we also seek out waste from other manufacturers and re-use it when making new products. If you have a product design idea that you think we could implement in plastic, please give us a call on 01692 501020.