Plastic is a man-made material composed of carbon and hydrogen molecules. Plastic molecules are so tightly bound together that decomposer organisms such as bacteria and fungi cannot penetrate them and therefore, they do not biodegrade.
Plastics will eventually disintegrate if exposed to sunlight and oxygen for an extended period of time (probably hundreds of years) through a process called photo-oxidation, but since these conditions are lacking in landfill sites plastics (and other materials) cannot be expected to break down.
Plastic is a very useful material due to its stability, versatility and light weight, and is used for a very broad range of applications.
Thirty+ plastic resins (types) are now in use. Most common are PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) which is commonly used to manufacture soft drink bottles, HDPE (high-density polyethylene) used for milk & juice jugs as well as shampoo & motor oil bottles, LDPE (low-density polyethylene) often used for grocery bags, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) used to manufacture vegetable oil bottles, PP (polypropylene) found in margarine & yogurt tubs, and PS (polystyrene) commonly referred to as "styrofoam" which is in fact the Dow Chemical brand name for PS. Other applications of all these plastics exist.
Recycling of plastic packaging has evolved over the years and is based on the collection, sorting and processing of predominantly homogeneous streams of plastic packaging. This approach maximizes the value and market availability for the collected plastic packaging.
Some examples of recycling in consumer packaging include products such as: plastic bottles, plastic tubs, and plastic films and bags. These products can all be recycled. The choice as to whether they are recycled or not depends on each individual municipality.
