The Process of Recycling Plastic Bottles
The diagram below shows the process of recycling plastic bottles. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. [Diagram Description: A linear flow chart with 7 distinct stages, each with a small icon. 1. **Collection**: A truck with an open back is collecting plastic bottles from a recycling bin on a street. 2. **Sorting**: Conveyor belt where workers and machines separate plastic bottles from other waste (e.g., cans, paper). 3. **Crushing & Washing**: The sorted bottles go into a machine that crushes them into small flakes, which are then washed with water. 4. **Melting**: The clean flakes are fed into a machine that melts them down into a liquid polymer. 5. **Pelletizing**: The liquid polymer is forced through small holes to form long, spaghetti-like strands, which are then cut into small, uniform plastic pellets. 6. **Raw Material Production**: The pellets are collected in a storage bin, ready for transport to factories. 7. **Manufacturing**: Trucks deliver the pellets to a factory where they are used as raw material to produce new plastic products (e.g., new bottles, bags, clothing).]