Danish households and companies produce 340,000 tons of plastic waste every year. 63% of the plastic waste from households and companies is burned, and only about 36% of the plastic waste is recycled. This is increasingly creating challenges for the environment*.
The environmental impact of burning of plastic
Plastic is primarily an oil-based product, and the increasing production of plastic is therefore increasingly putting pressure on the fossil resources of the earth. It is estimated that 6% of the world’s oil goes to production of plastic, and the number is expected to increase to 20% in 2050. The production, consumption and burning of plastic results in the emission of about 400 million tonnes CO2 globally each year. Every 1 million tonne of plastic that is recycled is the equivalent of removing 1 million cars from the road, measured in CO2 emissions.
Plastic in nature and in the ocean
Meanwhile, plastic is also a large problem when it ends up in nature, as it decomposes very slowly. Actually, it takes about 500 years for plastic bags and bottles to decompose in nature, and in the ocean, it takes up to 20 years for plastic bags and up to 450 years for plastic bottles to decompose. Plastic waste is increasingly a problem in the marine environment, where it poses a threat to wildlife, among other things.
Sustainable plastic at Aduro
At Aduro, we always want to be one step ahead in the green transition. This is reflected in the design of our wood burning stoves, which are energy-efficient and reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible. We have an overall goal to address the green transition in the entire supply chain. Therefore, our new plastic funnel is made from recycled plastic from Danish households. We believe that it benefits all of us if we exploit our resources as much as possible and recycle plastic as a part of a circular economy.
*Source: Miljø- og Fødevareministeriet (2018) Plastik uden spild – Regeringens plastikhandlingsplan. https://mfvm.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/MFVM/Miljoe/Plastikhandlingsplan/Regeringens_plastikhandlingsplan_web_FINAL.pdf
