If plastic is properly disposed of and recycled, it begins to live anew. In particular, a lot of new things that surround us or will surround us in the near future are made from discarded plastic bottles.

In the 1990s, as shortages began to recede, never-before-seen products flooded store shelves. Including "overseas" drinks in plastic containers. Many were in no hurry to throw away used bottles. There were Kulibins who turned them into anything: even a chandelier, even a children's toy. An empty soda bottle has become the heroine of programs and articles more than once.

Today, the popularity of empty bottles has declined. Basically they are thrown away. Ecologists have calculated that a third of the total amount of garbage is made up of empty plastic bottles. In our area, separate waste collection is still not widespread, and plastic in 99% of cases is simply sent to a landfill. It's a pity: it turns out a lot of interesting and useful things.

But first, the bottles must be recycled in special factories. There they are sorted by color, usually there are four of them - natural, green, blue and brown. For example, manufacturers of bottles for beer or kvass usually use brown.

After color sorting, the plastic is washed from dirt, corks and labels are separated and crushed. Then they wash again, extremely carefully, and dry. The result is PET flex - plastic flakes, from which everything is made.

Cloth

Sustainable clothing production is becoming a real competitive advantage, and high-end brands are looking to highlight it. Particularly sports. Many teams today go to games wearing uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. This is a global trend that is also coming to us - for example, Spartak Moscow plays in this uniform.

However, not only sports stars wear clothes made from plastic bottles. Recycled plastic is used to make recycled polyester, which is found in T-shirts, jeans and other casual wear.

Furniture

Plastic furniture is associated with something cheap and impractical. However, today the situation is changing. Tables, chairs, benches and other furniture made of plastic look no less elegant than those made of wood. In addition, such furniture is not afraid of dampness, fungi, insects, it is unpretentious and durable.

Plastic furniture is suitable not only for the home, but also for the street. For example, in Yekaterinburg, recycled benches have already been installed on the streets in some places. One bench requires 80 kg of waste. These benches are no less durable than wooden ones, and most importantly, they show by their example that plastic does not have to be destroyed.

Bicycles

In 2011, Uruguayan artist Juan Muzzi produced the world's first bicycle with a frame made entirely from recycled plastic. These bikes were called Muzzicycles.

It takes about 200 bottles to produce one frame. The bike turned out to be not only environmentally friendly, but also very light and shockproof. Such a frame will never rust, so the transport will last a long time. With the help of the Internet, Muzzi's invention found admirers all over the world.

Roads

Asphalt is not the most environmentally friendly surface. But is there an alternative to it? In the Netherlands, they came up with a road surface made from recycled plastic. It is assembled according to the type of children's designer.

Such roads will be perfectly smooth. They are easy to repair - you just need to replace one module with another. In addition, plastic is more resistant to high temperatures, it heats up less in the sun than asphalt. So far, this is only a concept that requires practical research. But it may well be that bottle roads will soon become commonplace.

Plastic is everywhere

Recycled plastic can be found in almost every home and office. These are no longer the inventions of the futurists, but everyday life.

In particular, staplers, hole punchers, rulers, pen containers - all this can be made from recycled materials. Some office supplies manufacturers are even launching eco-friendly product lines. This is a huge industry that can be "green".

A few years ago, one of the world's leading backpack manufacturers launched a new line. These backpacks are made from recycled plastic bottles. In appearance, they are in no way inferior to ordinary ones.

And this is not to mention new plastic bottles, containers, containers and other household items. A simple bottle of mineral water that you drank can turn into a teapot or a T-shirt. Isn't this magic! And if we learn how to sort waste and donate plastic separately, there will be much more magic in our lives.