Ever since Alexander Parkes developed the first man-made plastic in 1862, manufacturers of polymer based products have been hard at work to find ways to reduce the cost of production while maintaining high quality.

With a steady depletion of available raw materials and a continual rise in cost, the need for alternative sources has become more and more urgent.

Enter recycling.

It was discovered that certain types of discarded plastic products could be ground, formed into pellets, melted, dyed, and molded into brand new products. These "recycled" materials, when handled properly, provided a high quality end-product for a significantly lower cost than their prime virgin counterparts.

According to the American Plastics Council (APC), more than two hundred companies in the U.S. alone process post-industrial scrap plastic today. An amazing sixty percent of all plastic products produced in this country are for commercial use. This provides a significant potential source of plastics for recycling, and a virtually endless supply of economical "raw" materials for production.

We're not exactly saving trees.   What's the benefit to the environment?

The APC estimates that although 59 percent of all U.S. communities have access to programs that collect plastic waste, products of this type still account for almost ten percent of all municipal solid waste found in landfills across the country.

Some materials can be recycled, some can be "cracked" and returned to a chemical, and some can be burned cleanly. By recycling plastic products, companies like G.A.I.M. and our clients are helping to reduce the flow of usable materials to landfills. We're also reducing dependency on new materials and resins, as well as cutting the environmental side-effects of producing them.

So what's in it for me?  For G.A.I.M.?  Why recycle?

Bottom line, you save money. With lower production costs, our clients have seen greater margins. High quality keeps customers satisfied and helps turn product. G.A.I.M. benefits by leveraging technology for production at a very reasonable cost - which is passed onto you. Everybody wins: You, G.A.I.M. and the environment.

With recycling we have a better place to live and a cleaner environment!

• Plastics.org
       http://www.plastics.org/

• Illinois Recycling Association
       http://www.ilrecyclingassn.org/

• American Plastics Council
       http://www.ameriplas.org

• Society of Plastics Engineers
       http://www.4spe.org