Repair and Reuse
On reflection, it can be identified that not all plastics, fabric materials, and
mobile devices are capable of going through the recycling and reuse process. There is potential for other existing materials be used in replacement
to these unrecyclable resources. For example Econyl created Nylon Textile
Filaments (NTF) manufactured from waste streams that include abandoned
fishing nets and carpets, creating a material t hat is durable, light and environmentally friendly, whilst still giving the same quality as manufactured
Nylon. The launch in 2011 has proven very successful in the clothing industry. Potentially old unused resources could become a replacement of those
plastics that are deemed as ‘too difficult’ to recycle (Econyl, 2015.)
Bioplastics
Bioplastics are a plastic built from sustainable plant sources such as sugarcane, potato starch and cellulose from trees and straw. This type of plastic is
designed using these materials to enable the product to biodegrade or compost at the end of its life span. To further reduce the impact on the environment climate, the Biomass absorbs carbon dioxide, transmitting this energy
into the manufacturing production process, therefore reusing energy, their
carbon footprint and manufacturing costs. A negative point raised acknowledged that bioplastics are an improvement on the development of used
fossil-based fuels, but are not yet a complete solution. Bioplastics are only
suitable for composting in special facilities, at 140° F for ten days, to ensure
the product biodegrades within a ninety day period (Monica Parpal, 2015.)
Figure 19
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