SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The latest report published by Greenpeace- the leading environmental activist group says that recycling increases the toxicity of plastics. The report focuses on the health threats from plastic recycling. The plastic crisis can only be stemmed by controlling chemicals in plastics and by significantly reducing production of plastics across the globe.
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The report titled “Forever Toxic: The science of health threats from plastic recycling” says that plastic contain more than 13,000 chemicals, out of which nearly 3,200 are known to be hazardous to human health.
The recycled plastics often contains higher levels of chemicals, which can poison people and contaminate communities. The toxic chemicals, with which plastics are made up of, don’t simply go away when plastics are recycled. Plastic poisons the circular economy and causes pollution to air, water and food.
As per Greenpeace report, toxic chemicals are present in virgin plastics. The chemicals are produced when plastics are heated during recycling process. Also, substances such as pesticides, cleaning solvents and other items that enter the recycling chain could contaminate plastic. The mechanical recycling of PET#1 plastic creates carcinogenic benzene, the report says.
