The average life of a plastic bag was just 25 minutes, but after being thrown away, plastic bags do not decompose quickly. They stick around for 100 to 500 years, before disintegrating. In 2015, UK law changed so shops have to charge for single-use carrier bags, leading to a decrease of almost 300 million bags. There is still plenty of plastic out there, forming a large proportion of our rubbish. Find out what happens to the plastic you put in a skip.
What Happens to Plastic I Put in a Skip?
Brits use an estimated five million tonnes of plastic per year. Almost half of this is the packaging. The problem is that this type of waste does not compose. If it goes in a landfill it lasts hundreds of years, and it can cause considerable environmental damage – polluting rivers and harming wildlife. Local authorities find this waste difficult to dispose of. China no longer accepts a lot of exported waste due to the volume and contamination issues. Plastic is polluting the world’s oceans. Eight million pieces of plastic enter the sea every day. It is having a catastrophic effect on marine life.
Recycling or Recovery
The Government has a target for plastic pollution. This involves working towards making all packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
When the waste from your skip goes for recycling, it first has to be sorted. Plastic suitable for recycling is first decontaminated. Whatever is economically viable to recycle then goes to a recycling facility. The rest is recovered, rather than recycled. It does not get sent to a landfill but is reused – for example by recovering energy by incinerating it.
Martlands Skip Hire
If you need skip hire, just call us at the Martland Skip Hire office on one of the local numbers below and we will give you a tailored skip hire quote. We are always pleased to help!
Burscough Skip Hire 01704 779345
Southport Skip Hire 01704 779345
Skelmersdale Skip Hire 01695 769123
Bamber Bridge Skip Hire 01772 364 399
Chorley Skip Hire 01257 752399
Leyland Skip Hire 01772 364399
