Is plastic really recyclable?
Chemistry For Your Life
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The Primary Method of Recycling Polymers
The other option is essentially they're just melted down because they're thermoplastic polymers, which means they become more elastic as you heat them up. That doesn't work for thermoset polymers that will degrade before they melt. Theoretically, it's the best option because if you break it all the way back down to its monomers, you're basically starting from scratch again.
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