Cyprus context
These are not stand-alone pages, but
complements to the above ones.
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Recycling plastics is a problem
because there are so many different types which should ideally not be mixed. Many
items have a two to four letter code or a number adjacent to a recyclable sign,
indicating the type of plastic it is (non-exhaustive list):
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Symbol
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No. |
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Plastic (trade names in
italics)
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PE
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7 |
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Polyethylene, Polythene
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HDPE
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2 |
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High-density polyethylene
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LDPE
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4 |
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Low-density polyethylene
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PVC
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3 |
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Polyvinyl chloride
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PP
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5 |
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Polypropylene
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PS
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6 |
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Polystyrene
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PET
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1 |
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Polyethylene teraphthalate Terylene
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PC
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7 |
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Polycarbonate Makrolon
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PMMA
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7 |
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Polymethyl methylacrylate Perspex, Plexiglass
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PTFE
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7 |
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Polytetrafluoroethylene Teflon,
Fluon
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Wherever possible, the ideal would
be to keep each type of plastic separate where separate
collections are made, but this is often not the case. It is possible to
automatically sort plastics by shredding them and using differential
flotation, but I don't know whether the technique is widely used or even
very accurate.
PET drinks and mineral water
bottles are a special case. In some places, PET bottles are the only type
that is recycled. They cannot be reused for hygienic reasons. The
caps and rings should be discarded with PVC, PP or PE, according to their
markings and the bottle flattened as far as is possible. They can then be
chopped up and melted for making clothing fibres, ropes and other quality
items. There is a good market value for clear PET bottles, which are often
exported to China for spinning into fibres. However, a Japanese company has
recently announced that they have found a way of breaking the plastic down,
back into its original chemical components, meaning that new bottles can
safely be made from old. It is too early to say whether this process will be
viable.
In some European countries, a cash deposit is placed on
bottles, to ensure they are returned, rather than simply thrown away.
In countries where there are no or partial plastics
collections, and also for unidentifiable plastics, incineration in special
installations may be used to provide electrical energy; as plastics are
oil-derived, they make excellent fuel. Nevertheless, they should be burnt
only in the right installation, and most especially PVC, PTFE, polyurethanes
and any containing brominated flame retardants, all of which require flue
gas scrubbing to prevent toxic gas emissions.
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