Reflection on video: “Giving packaging a new life”

This video introduces people to the new methods used to recycles a wide variety of materials as well as introducing what these materials can be.

In the first video it is shown how technology has assisted in separating different recyclable materials as these materials has to be recycled individually with no impurities. Aluminum pieces are separated using eddy current and tin plates are separated using magnet as they have magnetic properties. Then the rest of the mixtures of recyclable materials are washed and the papers and tetra packs are removed. So many other individual materials are also separated using the new computer scanning system in which an image of the particles are collected and the different pieces are separated automatically based on their transparency properties and using infrared images.

Glass containers are separated according to their colour as different coloured glasses are not meant to be melted and recycled together. This is also done using the computer imaging technology.

About 500 thousand tons of plastic is recycled each year. Different kinds of plastic packaging’s are separated based on their several techniques:

1.                  Separated according size

2.                  Air separators blowout films

3.                  Centrifuges separate different types of plastics based on their properties such as density.

Aluminum containers are separated using eddy current, melted and rolled into sheets which can then be used to make other products such as Canned products. These can also be used to produce aluminum extrusions desired by another production line which can save lots of energy by taking away an step in the production.

Papers are also recycled into cardboards and other products such as toilet papers and tissues. First the whole mixture of recyclable materials are washed and a blower separates the labels. Then all the printing inks are removed by washing in a heated area. The grains of papers then are set on a wide area and are dried and rolled to form recycled paper which can then be used to manufacture so many other products.

These series of videos are very useful for designers looking to expand their knowledge towards recycling methods and ways they can design products in such way that makes the products not only possible but very easy to recycle. Also alerts people of the importance of recycling and how much raw material would have been wasted if these recycling methods were not available.