Plastic Recovery And Recycling That Is Tied Into The Textile Industry
Plastic is economical and useful in the production of many goods. Due to the increase of plastic products being introduced, there is also an influx of plastic pollution. Many plastic materials that are recovered from the ocean are repurposed. The textile industry is a large industry that benefits from recycling plastic and using it to produce goods.
Plastic Recovery And Recycling
Offshore infrastructure has been designed to collect plastic floating in waterways. This type of recovery effort is typically conducted in oceans, but it may also be used in lakes, streams, and other waterways that are heavily polluted.
Plastic falls into two main categories: thermoplastics and Thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics soften and melt when heated. Their malleability deems them sufficient materials to recycle. Thermosetting polymers melt and take shape when heated. They are not flexible materials and are typically not repurposed. Plastic bottles, bags, and other thermoplastic waste are sorted and placed into a chemical or mechanical recycling process.
Recycled plastic can be spun into threads, which are ultimately spooled and used to produce fabrics. Some manufacturers may use plastic for the majority of the textiles that they produce. Other manufacturers may use repurposed plastic for some of their textiles. They may also combine fabric made out of recycled plastic and other textile types. Blended clothing garments or raw textiles will contain labeling that will identify the exact textile types that have been used during production.
Sourcing Information
If you want to support a company that is striving to clean up the environment, learning where they source their plastic from will teach you about the recovery and manufacturing process. Besides infrastructure that is set up along offshore regions, ships are often used to release large collection nets. These nets are capable of containing a large amount of waste located in an ocean or another large waterway. Many nets may be used during each collection attempt.
You may be inclined to pick a clothing supplier that has been actively participating in a recycling campaign for a while. A manufacturer that is reputable and conscientious about its efforts will be more willing to share pertinent information about where its plastic was sourced from.
They may outline how they clean and recycle the plastic and the methods that are used to transform plastic into woven threads. Clothing made out of repurposed materials will look no different than clothing that is made with other synthetic materials.
Search local websites, such as BionicYarn.com, to learn more about coastal and marine recycled plastic textiles.