The diagram detailed above delineates how plastic bottles are recycled. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that this circular process is comprised of 3 main stages including initial collection and sorting, followed by processing and cleaning, and finally reconstitution into a novel material for further usage.
Recycling commences when an individual places their rubbish in a designated recycling bin, prior to being loaded into specialized garbage trucks. After transportation to the recycling center, the plastic bottles are sorted by hand, compressed tightly to form blocks and then crushed into small pieces and washed.
The next stages involve transformation into a reusable material. The pieces of plastic are first poured into a machine that turns them into pellets. These pellets are then heated in order to create a raw material that can be used in the manufacture of products ranging from clothes and bottles to containers and pencils. These items are themselves recyclable and the process begins again.