When items made from polymers are finished with they will need to be disposed of. The traditional method of dealing with waste is to __________ it, this involves dumping waste in a hole in the ground.
The problem is many polymers are not biodegradable, so they are not broken down by __________. This also causes a problem when plastics are dropped as __________, as it does not rot away.
Land fill sites are rapidly becoming full and therefore this method of disposal is __________. The alternative ways to deal with waste plastics are:
If the plastics are incinerated the heat produced can be used to generate __________, however potentially __________ waste gasses need to be contained and dealt with.
To recycle plastics they need to be __________ and then __________, not only from other forms of waste but also into the different polymers.
Despite the extra effort, and therefore __________, needed to recycle polymers, it does have the benefit of reducing the __________ of raw materials. This will allow __________ reserves to last longer.