Unfortunately, these items are non-biodegradable so when not recycled, they go straight into the landfill and stay there for a long, long time. In fact, plastic wastes occupy a large space in landfills around the country and are partly to blame for the early closing of some of these facilities.

Experts estimate that it takes about 20 years for an ordinary plastic to decompose while it takes a whooping 250 years before a plastic cup rot. With the amount of plastic waste we produce daily and the length of time it takes to decompose these wastes, if we do not recycle plastic, it will just be a matter of time before we burry ourselves in our own trash!

Aside from the fact that plastic takes time to decompose, it also takes a lot of energy to create plastic. Manufacturers burn tremendous amounts of fossil fuel everyday to meet the demands for plastic products. According to studies, manufactures of plastic products consume about 7% to 8% of the total supply of fossil fuel. Burning of fossil fuel is very detrimental to the environment. For many years, experts have pointed towards burning of fossil fuels as one of the primary causes of global warming. If we recycle plastic, we may be able to save energy and at the same time reduce the greenhouse gases that results from burning of fossil fuels.

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