Recycling of tinplate vs. plastic
What is tinplate
Tinplate is thin sheet steel that is cold-rolled to a thickness of 0.100 to 0.499mm and then electrolytically coated with tin. Tinplate can be recycled any number of times, infinitely and without any loss of quality.
Advantages of tinplate:
Tinplate packaging is a permanently usable material that can be recycled and reused an infinite number of times without losing its properties. They are light in weight, stable and flexible and can be shaped into any shape required for containers and packaging. This makes them ideal candidates for secondary production or recovery after recycling. The use of tinplate
- reduces damage to forests,
- reduces air, water and soil pollution,
- saves space on landfills and
- reduces climate change if emissions are reduced,
In concrete terms, this means tinplate
- reduces energy consumption by around 60% compared to the production of new material,
- prevents around 86% of air emissions and around 76% of water pollution,
- Reduces waste in mining by up to around 97% and
- saves around 40% of the water during production.
Tinplate is the most commonly recycled material in Europe . Countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Spain have achieved more than 90% of the steel recovery. This happens thanks to the magnetic properties of the material.
The problem with plastic packaging
Waste management remains the main problem with plastic packaging. Less than 30% of plastic packaging is recycled in Europe. Of this, 31% end up in landfills and 39% are simply burned to generate energy.
HDPE cannot be recycled at will without a loss of quality . This is because HDPE cannot be separated by type and color. The inferior fractions can then only be used in non-critical products such as benches, sewage pipes, etc.
In addition, plastic waste ends up in the oceans and accounts for 80% of marine litter.
Plastic waste has accumulated in the Mediterranean, the Arctic Ocean and the European Exclusive Economic Zone and affects tourism, shipping and fishing. In addition, most of the plastic waste is exported to developing countries for recycling, which in unsafe conditions leads to health problems , em for the people who live there.
Environmental impact of plastics:
Plastics can break down into tiny particles (microplastics) that can take 10 to thousands of years to completely decompose in the ocean and in landfills. In the course of this time
- Millions of marine animals will die because they consume plastic and microplastics and cannot recycle them.
- Almost 700 inlets are threatened by plastics, many of which have already been decimated and entire habitats are emerging
the game.
- Harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), a carcinogen, and bisphenol S (BPS) or bisphenol F (BPF) can land in landfills as well
Oceans are washed out, which can have fatal consequences for animals and humans.
The use of plastic has hidden environmental, social and economic costs.