We have a significant challenge with plastics in that we can no longer recycle plastics #1 and #2 as we have been in the past, and plastics #3 through #7 have never been recycled on Guam.
Because it is cheaper to produce virgin plastics from crude petroleum and/or natural gas, incorporating recycled plastics into new plastic products has declined dramatically. As oil prices increase, which is reflected in the $4.30/gal price of gas now, plastic recycling is expected to increase somewhat, but we need to do more locally with the plastic waste we’re generating.
On average, we dispose of 600,000 pounds of waste daily, except Sundays, at the Layon Landfill. A significant portion of that waste is plastic.
Precious Plastics
One organization working to divert some of the plastic and create a variety of items with that plastic is Micronesia Climate Change Alliance. As described in their…
