How long does the unicel take to degrade

The Unicel It is a material manufactured by a Petroleum derived known as expandable polystyrenewhich is a foaming plastic that presents an expansion agent called Pentano. This material It is used for packaging of any product of any size or shape and also to package perishable foods, maintaining fresh products thanks to the fact that the material is very hygienic and does not contribute to the development of microorganisms.

Other applications are for Construction due to its light weight, high resistance, low thermal conductivity (insulating) and low water absorption, among other properties. Likewise, due to its resistance, its lightness and its high rate of absorption of the impact energy, it is also used in the manufacture of children’s armchairs to place in the car and sports helmets.

Know How long does it take to degrade polystyrene naturally? It is estimated that the prexpán or unicel takes approximately, between 500 and 800 years in degrading completely.

It is for this reason that their reuse and recycling are so important, although the best thing for the environment would not use this material, since the oil is still running out and contamination in various ways occurs. In fact, in more than 70 cities in the United States its use is already prohibited.

Knowing what it takes to degrade, we will comment what is the Unicel Environmental Impact. The production of the porexpán or white cork is made massively. For example, in countries like Mexico up to 125 thousand tons are consumed annually and 25% is intended to manufacture disposable products used in the food industry⁽¹⁾.

For the manufacture of the unicel, non -renewable natural resources are used, since as we have said its manufacture is due to the polystyrene, oil derived plastic. Therefore, in its production process chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) are issued to the atmosphere and the oil sources continue to be exploited, which are limited.

Among other environmental impacts caused by Unicel, we find that products made of this material are very bulky and most end up occupying large spaces in landfills, since their recycling is almost null. Also, when Unicel ends at seathis is decomposing in balls and you are in microplastics that end up being digested by animals causing sometimes until their death. Here you can learn more about what microplastics are: definition and types.

Before moving on to the recycling of waste it is better to give them a second life reusing them. Next, some will be shown Tips to reuse unicel.

• With some Unicel containers, we can make our own frame to place photos or even a mirror. The Unicel would replace the main base of the frame, which is normally made of wood, and you can decorate it as you want.
• For Christmas decoration lovers, with the white disposable vessels of Unicel, which are normally used to drink coffee outside an establishment, you can make a beautiful and original snowman.
• With the unicel trays you can manufacture objects and for this two trays are needed. One of them we leave it whole and the other is cut in half. The half that has been cut is attached to the whole tray by coinciding by one of its ends. We stick a tray with the other and there will be a hole where you can save what you want. You can paint and decorate to give it a more personal touch.

Unicel is 100% recyclable and is deposited in the yellow containerbecause recovered materials can be used in numerous applications. Although it can be recycled, the problem is in the lack of awareness of recycling in some citizens and in the lack of enough recycling plants to properly manage it.

If you wonder How to recycle unicelthis is the process once you have separated it from the rest of your waste and have deposited them in the yellow container:

1. Collection of waste manufactured with unicel, free of liquids, food remains or other types of plastics, to be transported to the recycling plant of said material. If the porexpan is not clean, everything that does not work must be cleaned and eliminated (tapes, plastics …)
2. The material is introduced into a thermodensified machine, which applies heat to Unicel waste to extract all the air it contains (95%), leaving only polystyrene (5%).
3. Once the polystyrene is obtained, it is allowed to cool until a block is obtained.
4. The block that is obtained as a result can be used to manufacture other products such as pellets.

As you have discovered how long does the unicel take And more details about this material derived from oil, perhaps you are now interested in knowing the degradation time of many of the materials that are residues and end in nature:

• How long it takes to degrade a gum.
• How long it takes to degrade the plastic.
• How long the waste takes to degrade.

If you want to read more articles similar to How long does the unicel take to degradewe recommend that you enter our recycling and waste management category.