Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
How plastic is recycled into insulation.

How plastic is recycled into insulation.

Recycling diverts waste from landfills.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
  • Adapted from C.R. Scotese, The University of Texas at Arlington
    Watch a time-lapse of Earth changing through geologic time, from the Cambrian Era to the projected period of Pangea Proxima.
    Media Editor: Miranda Chabot
    Watch Earth's Continents Move
    Watch Earth's Continents Move
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    These aren't your average mushrooms.
    Media Editor: Kira Helm
    The Tiny Fungi Fighting Climate Change
    Illustration of a red-capped mushroom wearing a red cape next to bold text reading 'Can fungi save the world?' with a smokestack in the background.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    The average tornado has a short lifespan—but large potential for destruction.
    How Do Tornadoes Form?
    A cartoon tornado in a field populated by a farmhouse and other small buildings.
  • © American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
    Learn why Styrofoam (polystyrene) is not recycled as much as it could be.
    Is Styrofoam recyclable?
    Is Styrofoam recyclable?
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce
    Learn how to prevent litter from ending up in the ocean.
    Discover how individuals can change their habits of consumption and disposal of single-use products, especially plastics, to keep trash out of the ocean
    Discover how individuals can change their habits of consumption and disposal of single-use products, especially plastics, to keep trash out of the ocean
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    The role of recycling in solid-waste disposal.
    Learn how local recycling waste-management programs lessen landfills' solid-waste burdens
    Learn how local recycling waste-management programs lessen landfills' solid-waste burdens
  • Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
    Who brought an office chair to the beach?
    Marine Debris: How Trash Ends Up in the Ocean?
    A white woman in blurry focus holds up a small piece of plastic called a nurdle, highlighted with a blue circle.
Related Articles: plastic , recycling

News •

Plastic bags and bottles become industrial-strength adhesives through new upcycling method • Nov. 5, 2026, 5:20 PM ET (Phys.org)
Scientists were unsure of how microplastics harmed the body — until now • Oct. 25, 2026, 12:00 PM ET (Washington Post)

Transcript

NARRATOR: The widespread use of plastics has led to their most visible disadvantage—waste. From the mounds of litter clogging landfill sites, it is the plastics that emerge.

At this recycling plant in Leeds, England, these PET bottles are sorted from other waste and transported to a plant where they are ground into pellets. Though they can no longer be used as bottles, they can be utilized to produce insulation and construction materials.

This building, for example, has been constructed from a light but durable plastic.
Last Modification: