PLASTIC WASTE

Environmental degradation remains the most important factor contributing to a decreasing quality and longevities of life in Moldova. Due to shortcoming in technological capacity for collection, reuse and recycling, most generated waste is landfilled even though it contains useful materials such as glass, metal, plastic etc. These materials have a value which is wasted when the products are dumped.

Cheap, capable of being made into any conceivable shape, strong and durable, plastic is something of a wonder material. It has proved so useful to humans that since the 1950s we have produced an estimated 8.3 billion metric tonnes of the stuff. However, the victim of this success appears to be much of life on earth. And humans, one day, could find themselves among them.

For some 79 per cent of the plastic produced over the last 70 years has been thrown away, either into landfill sites or into the general environment. Just nine per cent is recycled with the rest incinerated. This has been described as "an uncontrolled experiment on a global scale" by scientists.

What can we do with plastic waste?

We can recycle !!! Plastic recycling refers to the process of recovering waste or scrap plastic and reprocessing the materials into functional and useful products.

In Moldova there are only a few solutions for collecting plastic waste: - waste collection points -bins for plastic waste -market that collects bottles for recycling: plastic up to three liters, aluminum cans and glass bottles in exchange for empty packaging, or discount coupons in the market

WHAT CAN PLASTICS BE TURNED INTO?

When they are recycled they can make new bottles and containers, plastic lumber, picnic tables, lawn furniture, playground equipment, recycling bins and more. When they are recycled plastic bags and wraps can made into plastic lumber that is used to make park benches, backyard decks and fences – even playground equipment. When plastic bottles are recycled they can be made into lots of things: t-shirts, sweaters, fleece jackets, insulation for jackets and sleeping bags, carpeting and more bottles

Plastic bottle caps can be recycled into batteries for your car, garden rakes, storage containers, reusable shopping bags, yarn, ropes and more bottle caps. Innovative recycling programs can take foam packaging and turn it into plastic products such as insulation, picture frames, building products for your home … and more foam packaging.

Plastic waste is plaguing our seas and killing over a million animals every year. This has to stop, and it starts with you!