Recycling and reusing plastic bags is an effective way at the moment to limit plastic waste, contribute to protecting the living environment. However, not everyone knows how to properly recycle and reuse. Let find it out in the following article.
- How to differentiate between reuse and recycling?
Although they are both considered as solutions that contribute to effective environmental protection, save material, and bring economic and social benefits, reuse and recycling are two completely different concepts that are easy to get confused.
Reuse is using again the product for the same purpose or another, using it many times until the end of its life.
Recycle is the use of waste as a source of raw materials to produce useful new materials and products.
- How to reuse plastic bags
When you go to the market or supermarket, the new plastic bag is often used by the seller to store food such as vegetables and fruits. So after you bring them home, instead of throwing them away, you can reuse them more and more in the following ways:
Method 1: Reuse plastic bags to store trash and leftovers
Your home has a trash can and often uses a separate garbage bag. So if you have excess plastic bags, choose a bag with the right size to put in the trash and replace the garbage bag. If you only keep dry garbage, you can clean the bag and reuse it for storing next time.
Method 2: Package
You need to deliver an item but no bags? Remember to clean your plastic bags, and then you can use them to wrap items for express delivery.
Method 3: Storing food
Some food-grade plastic bags can be reused by cleaning, then storing the food. However, remember that you should prioritize storing the cold food instead of storing the hot one that will affect your health.
Method 4: Make temporary gloves
Sometimes you have to come into contact with garbage, with dirty objects such as collecting pet feces, scavenging … while not having gloves. In that case, find a used plastic bag, clean it, and use it to help you clean things better.
Method 5: Preservation of utensils
You can use used plastic bags after cleaning and drying them to keep papers, clothes, blankets, pillows, souvenirs free from dirt, moisture, oxidation … This approach reduces the bulky level of objects, saves costs and living space, and is a way to reuse plastic bags properly.
Method 6: Making bricks
In some countries, people collect plastic bags and fill them in empty water bottles to turn them into ecological bricks, used to build houses, while saving fuel and minimizing the amount of plastic waste in the environment.
Method 7: Fruit wrap
To protect the fruit from pests and reduce damage, people often use plastic bags to wrap fruit. Instead of using a new bag, you can use an old bag, which has been cleaned and dried to wrap fruit.
- How to recycle plastic bags
Recycling plastic bags is the use of waste, used plastic materials as raw materials to produce useful new materials and products, helping to reduce energy use, and reduce the availability of environmental contamination.
Plastic bags are often recycled in a number of ways:
Method 1: Recycle plastic bags into baskets, chairs, swings, sandals
The plastic bags are cleaned, dried, then cut, plaited into the form of a rope, and woven into baskets.
Method 2: Recycle plastic bags into toys
Plastic bags can be used to make toys such as chicken or fish. But be careful using clean bags to avoid a health risk to your children when they suck or chew on toys.
Method 3: Recycle plastic bags into flowers and accessories
Using colorful plastic bags to make flowers to decorate your home is also a good way to reduce plastic waste in the environment.
Method 4: Recycle plastic bags into fuel oil
Recently, the Building Materials Research Institute fabricated and transferred technology to recycle plastic bags into fuel oil. This success made a strong mark on the waste treatment industry.
Method 5: Recycle plastic bags into recycled plastic bags
Among other ways, recycling plastic bags into new plastic bags is the most effective and popular today. This way to create a cycle of use – recycle – use, thereby reducing plastic waste in the environment.
There are many ways to recycle and reuse plastic bags, however, the most important thing is that each person consciously makes, and uses recycled products or not. That is the main factor that helps to protect the environment better and more effectively than ever.
