The illustration shows how plastic bottles are recycled through a nine-stage, man-made and cyclical process, beginning with the disposal of plastic waste by individuals and ending with the creation of new products.
Overall, the process involves collecting used bottles, sorting and processing them into raw material, and finally manufacturing new items. Notably, the process is circular, as the final products can be recycled again.
First, people throw plastic bottles into special recycling bins. These are then collected by garbage trucks and transported to a recycling center, where the bottles are carefully sorted. In the next stage, the bottles are compressed into blocks, which are then crushed into small plastic fragments.
In the sixth stage, the crushed plastic is thoroughly washed and passed through a specialized machine that converts it into plastic pellets. These pellets are then heated to form raw material. In the final stage, this material is used to produce new plastic products, such as bottles, dishes, pens, or even clothing. Eventually, these items may be discarded again, re-entering the recycling cycle.