Scienceville
Don't Refuse to Reuse!
Old plastic can become roads, building blocks and even clothes! Discover how clever people give used plastic a brand-new job instead of throwing it away.
Did you know?
Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan, a chemistry professor in Madurai, found a way to mix shredded plastic waste into road material. He is called the 'Plastic Man of India' and received the Padma Shri in 2018.
Look for a small number inside a triangle of arrows on plastic items. It tells you the type of plastic, not whether it will be recycled. Number 1 means PET, used for most water bottles.
Old PET bottles can be cleaned, melted and spun into threads to make carpets and clothes. A cosy jacket might once have been a pile of water bottles!
Try this: Make an eco-brick
Take an empty, dry plastic bottle with its cap. Collect clean, dry soft plastic such as wrappers and old bags, and tear it into small pieces by hand. Push the pieces into the bottle and pack them down hard with a stick. Keep going until the bottle feels as solid as a brick. Make several and they can become a stool or a garden border!
Go further: Climb the Rs ladder
Recycling is good, but it is not the first step! One popular ladder goes: Refuse things you don't need, like extra plastic bags. Reduce what you use, like carrying a steel bottle. Reuse items for the same job again. Repurpose them for a new job. Recycle comes last, because recycling still uses energy and water. The higher you climb the ladder, the less waste you make.