Plastic waste is one of the undeniable wastes in our daily lives because it is used in most of our activities. It is undeniable that plastic has many advantages compared to other materials, such as being strong, light, and cost-effective. 

In addition, after becoming a waste, plastic can be processed into other valuable products. This article discusses types of plastic waste and how to leverage it to become valuable products. So, read the explanation until the end!

Types of Plastic Waste

As we know, plastic has become a part of our lives. Its existence can help us thanks to its strong, light, flexible, and waterproof characteristics. 

Plastic waste commonly found around you can be plastic bottles, plastic bags, straws, plastic wrappers, product packaging, and so on. However, based on the type of plastic, plastic waste is divided into seven, namely:

1. PETE or PET

The first type of plastic waste is polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as PETE/PET. This plastic is very frequently used because it has strong, light, and usually transparent properties.

You can find this type of plastic in disposable packaging or products, such as water bottles, clothing, polyester rope, and food jars.

2. PVC

PVC or polyvinyl chloride is a type of plastic with rigid, hard, and chemical-proof properties. PVC is unable to conduct electricity, making it suitable for producing electric pipes. You can find PVC in window frames, automotive components, chairs, and bags. This plastic can be recycled as wire or medical tools. 

3. HDPE or PEDH

HDPE, or high-density polyethylene, is one of the types of plastic used in various products. Typically, there are three kinds of HDPE, namely linear low density, high density, and low density. 

The three are damp-proof, chemical-proof, and strong. Examples of this plastic waste are cleaner bottles and pipes. To recycle them, they can be reprocessed into ropes or pipes.

Read also: How to Recycle Organic Waste: Try These 4 Easy Craft Ideas!

4. LDPE

LDPE, or low-density polyethylene, is a more flexible version of HDPE plastic. Its characteristics are clearer and smoother than HDPE. Generally, LDPE plastic has food-grade standards so it is safe to use in direct contact with food or drinks.

This type of plastic is often found in milk cartons, cup-shaped beverage packaging, trash bags, and so on. Recycling is also easy, like being turned into trash plastic or frames.

5. PS

PS or polystyrene is a type of plastic frequently used to produce styrofoam and food packaging. This kind of plastic is usually stiff. You can find PS in styrofoam for fast food packaging or foam for frozen food. 

6. PP

Polypropylene or PP is a type of heat-resistant plastic, making it frequently used to produce plastic products that come into direct contact with high-temperature materials, such as food containers, straws, and bottle caps. These types of plastics are generally recycled into new products.

7. Other (O)

“Other” are plastics that are not included in the six types above. Usually, this type of plastic is formed from a combination of several materials. For example, “other” plastics can be found in baby bottles, electronic coatings, or glasses.

Read also: Organic and Inorganic Waste: 6 Differences You Can’t Miss!

How to Leverage Plastic Waste

Now that you already know the types of plastic waste, it is time to understand how to make use of the waste to be something valuable. Below are some activities you can do to turn plastic waste to be more valuable:

1. Recycling Plastic Waste

Recycling plastic waste is one of the most effective ways of utilizing plastic waste. Recycling can help you produce new raw materials to make other products.

2. Creating Crafts from Plastic

Plastic waste around you can be processed into aesthetic, functional, and valuable products. You can turn plastic bottles into flower vases or weave plastic bags into beautiful bags.

3. Processing Plastic Waste to be Ecobrick and Plastic Asphalt

It turns out that plastic waste can be used in construction materials, namely ecobrick and asphalt. Regarding this innovation, the Chandra Asri Group succeeded in collaborating with Yayasan Bakti Barito and the Government of Garut Regency to install plastic asphalt. 

The plastic asphalt resulting from this collaboration has been installed along 120 km of roads in Indonesia.

Moreover, it is easy to create an ecobrick in which you can break the plastic waste into pieces and fill them in a plastic bottle compactly. You must ensure that all tools and materials to make ecobrick are clean. 

After the plastic bottles are filled with plastic pieces, you can arrange them to be tables, chairs, and simple walls for buildings. Ecobrick is seen to be relatively strong in supporting the load, so it can be an alternative to other construction materials.

4. Creating Plastic Asphalt Mixture

Aside from making plastic asphalt, the Chandra Asri Group also innovates in developing a franchise called CIRCLOⓇ. CIRCLOⓇ is a plastic asphalt mixture made of plastic bag shreds. 

This franchise owned by Chandra Asri Group creates innovative asphalt plastic mixture products and empowers local traders and recyclers to produce plastic shreds through a plastic waste collection ecosystem.

Not only that, the Chandra Asri Group trains contractors or asphalt mixing plants (AMP) on how to mix asphalt with shredded plastic bag products.

5. Making a Greenhouse from Plastic Bottles

The next way to utilize plastic waste is to make a greenhouse from plastic bottles. You can cut the bottom of the plastic bottles and place them around the garden. After that, you can plant various kinds of plants, from vegetables to beautiful flowers.

6. Sorting Plastic Waste Based on the Types

You have learned the types of plastic waste before. Therefore, you can start separating it based on its type. This is important because not all plastic waste can be recycled at the same time.

Some plastic waste can be directly processed, and some need to be combusted to become raw materials. For example, PET plastic bottles can be immediately processed to be flower pots. Meanwhile, HDPE cleaner bottles can be combusted into raw materials for new plastic products. 

Besides, you must sort them out of the organic waste, which is completely different from inorganic waste in terms of processing methods. 

Those are the information about types of plastic waste and how to process it into new products. As explained before, the waste you have must be sorted before being thrown away to be easily managed. 

To get more insight into waste sorting, you can join Operasi Semut from Indonesia Asri! This activity is one of the Indonesia Asri campaign programs that educate the public about the importance of sorting waste.

Furthermore, Indonesia Asri has many programs and information about circular economy and nature preservation. Let’s become Warga Asri and make the Earth greener with Indonesia Asri now!

Read also: Various Liquid Waste That’s Surprisingly Beneficial – What Are They?