Plastics
The story of plastic
The development of plastics is believed to have started around 1860, when a US pool and billiard board company offered a prize of $10 000 to a person who could design the best substitute for natural ivory.
One of the entrants, although not the winner, John Wesley Hyatt, developed a derivative for the contest. His product was quite successful commercially, being used in the manufacture of products from dental plates or men’s collars.
Where do plastics come from
Most plastics are derived from petrochemical feedstock, which in turn originates from oil, natural gas or coal. In South Africa the gas comes from coal.
Know your plastics
Despite the popular misconception, the identification code does not indicate the safety of the products – it is an international code used to identify the various plastics for effective recycling.
The plastics recycling sequence
Plastics are collected and sorted into different types of plastics. The plastic articles are reduced in size i.e. cut up into smaller pieces with a granulator or shredder. The granulated flakes are put through a wash plant to remove labels, residual contents, and soil.