10 things you should know about plastics

1. Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours.

2. Of the 215 thousand tonnes of plastic waste recycled in Hong Kong, only 7 tonnes are recovered or recycled locally.  The rest gets exported.

3. Recycled plastic bottles can be made into products such as clothing, carpeting, detergent bottles and lumber of outdoor decking.

4. Every piece of plastic counts. One piece of plastic recycled means one piece less in the landfill, so remember to recycle!

5. Plastic recycling businesses have tripled in the past few years. If you have an idea of how to make good use of recycled plastics, turn it into a business!

6. Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.

7. Recycling one pound of PET plastic bottles saves 12,000 BTUs of heat energy.

8. Producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses 2/3 less energy than is required to make products from raw materials.

9. Plastics were the top 3 debris found in Hong Kong beach cleanups for a number of years. Sign up for a beach cleanup to reduce plastics in our oceans!

10. 1.1 million kg of plastics enter the ocean every hour of every day. Take the “Plastic-Free Pledge” and the "Marine Debris Survey" today and start making a difference!

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