What pollutants are kept from the environment by recycling plastic and aluminum?

Hi Hannah, "Biphenol A" is a toxic chemical common to plastics and aluminum cans. This chemical is harmful to us and to animal and marine life. In animals, it can have an effect on their reproductive systems. Plastics and cans make their way into the water systems and oceans, and birds actually eat plastic pieces by accident. Plastic is very spongelike, and can soak up a ton of chemical. The birds eat the plastic; animals eat other animals that are contaminated with chemicals. Plastic bags not only leak chemicals but they tangle up and cause life threatening situations for fish and birds. There's alot more detail involved but this is the idea for keeping plastics and cans out of the environment as a whole, not just the water systems.