How Do You Recycle Plastic Bottles?

Plastic bottles, especially single-use ones, are among the biggest sources of plastic waste and pollution in the UAE. According to Ecomena, an average resident uses nearly 500 bottles of water, beverages, and other liquids yearly. This equates to nearly five billion bottles ending in bins, landfills, and oceans. As a result, plastic bottle recycling has become a hot topic in recent years for the government bodies, such as the Environment Agency, and local green businesses, including Recapp.

The good news is that the UAE plastic recycling market is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 5%. According to forecasts, the capacity will increase from 0.84 million tons annually to nearly 1.45 million tons. However, would this solve the problem?

At Recapp, we believe that individuals would need to play a bigger role in reversing the environmental and economic damage caused by plastic bottles by limiting their use and learning to recycle them properly.

In this post, we’ll share how to recycle plastic bottles in three different ways. So, keep reading and play your role in reducing this major source of non-biodegradable litter and your carbon footprint.

1.     Refilling

The major source of plastic bottle waste comes from single-use water bottles and beverages. Refilling these bottles and using them as water bottles is one of the smartest ways to save some money and the environment. Although this won’t be possible in many cases, especially when you don’t have access to a cooler, filter, or fountain, you can still avoid dumping the bottle and storing it at home for future usage.

2.     Proper Disposal

Most people dump plastic bottles in dustbins without thinking about the consequences. As a result, plastic bottles typically end up in landfills and illegal dumping sites. Moreover, the waste in these sites is often improperly disposed of.

To properly discard plastic bottles, you should follow the best practices. For instance, never leave the caps off. In most recycling plants, the caps are often the only recyclable part of the bottle. Secondly, when dumping bottles in a recycling bin, crush them to make room for more bottles and increase the recycling volume per trip.

Thirdly, you should ensure bottles are emptied to save space, minimize contamination, and prevent time wastage. Finally, you should avoid bagging them, especially in plastic bags. Doing so may look convenient, but it only leads to more man-hours on the plant. More importantly, plastic bags can wreak havoc on recycling equipment. As a result, most plants opt out of plastic bag collection.

Recapp plays a big role in this recycling journey. To date, we have deployed thousands of recycling boxes in the UAE’s homes, offices, schools and commercial spaces. We collect thousands of bottles daily and dispose of them safely and properly, following the best practices.

3.     Repurposing

Repurposing water bottles involves using them for a different purpose if you don’t want to refill them or discard them. Fortunately, there are practically unlimited ways you can go about this. It all depends on the application and your creativity. Here are some of the most innovative ways to repurpose plastic bottles:

• Storage containers
• DIY planters
• Watering cans
• Charging dock
• Bundled trash can
• Protection for storage items
• DIY lamp shades
• Spice jars
• Sprinklers
• Bird feeder
• Pet feeder
• DIY structures, etc.

We have shared the three core plastic bottle recycling methods everyone should know about. By learning how to recycle plastic bottles and adopting the practice, anyone can lead a more sustainable life and make a difference in their communities. Plastic waste is a growing problem in the Middle East, and we need all hands on deck to reverse the damage.

At Recapp, we aim to empower UAE residents and business owners by offering a convenient and efficient way to recycle plastic bottles and other forms of waste from their properties. As an individual, you can use our free service to schedule a pick-up from your doorstep whenever you like.