|
With a little bit of care much plastic can be recycled, and collection of
plastics for recycling is increasing rapidly. Plastic recycling faces one huge
problem: plastic types must not be mixed for recycling, yet it is impossible to
tell one type from another by sight or touch. Even a small amount of the wrong
type of plastic can ruin the melt. The plastic industry has responded to this
problem by developing a series of cryptic markers, commonly seen on the bottom of
plastic containers. These markers do not mean the plastic can be
recycled, these makers do not mean the container uses recycled plastic. Despite the confusing use of the chasing arrow symbol, these markers only identify the plastic type.
Virtually everything made of plastic should be marked with a code. Not all types
can actually be recycled. Types 1 and 2 are widely accepted in container form,
and type 4 is sometimes accepted in bag form. Code 7 is for mixed or layered plastic
with virtually no recycling potential. You should place in your bin only
those
types of plastic listed by your local recycling agency! Due to
fluxuating market conditions, some colors or shapes may be useless to
the recycling agency.
Plastic bottles, containers and packaging typically have a symbol that
indicates the type of plastic resin from which the item was made. The
resin coding system was introduced in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry
(SPI). The symbols imprinted on plastic bottles, containers and
packaging are a variation of the original three wide mobius arrows.
They have been modified to a simpler and thinner version. On a bottle,
the symbol can usually be found on the bottom, molded into the plastic
itself as a raised impression and thus not always easily seen. The
symbol includes a number within the mobius arrows, and usually, but not
always, the chemical resin below the mobius arrows in acronym form.
Although presence of the symbol implies that the plastic item is
recyclable, the symbol is actually only intended to identify the
plastic resin from which the item was made. Recyclability is ultimately
determined by the local governing ordnances concerning what materials
are collected for recycling.
Plastics Recycling Symbols:
|
| Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET)
| |
| Description:
PET, also referred to as polyester, is a popular packaging material for
food and non-food products because it is inexpensive, lightweight,
resealable, shatter-resistant and recyclable. PET is clear and has good
moisture and gas barrier properties. Its color may be green. The flakes
and pellets of cleaned postconsumer recycled PET are in heavy demand
for use in spinning carpet yarns and for producing fiberfill and
geotextiles.
Packaging applications:
Soft drink bottles, water bottles, beer
bottles, mouthwash bottles, peanut butter containers, salad dressing
containers, juice bottles, vegetable oil bottles.
Recycled products derived from this plastic:
Fiber, tote bags, new PETE containers
for both food and non-food products, fabric for clothing, athletic
shoes, luggage, upholstery, furniture, carpet, fiberfill for sleeping
bags and winter coats, industrial strapping, sheet, and film, and
automotive parts, such as luggage racks, headliners, fuse boxes,
bumpers, grilles and door panels.
| |
| High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
| |
| Description:
Bottles made from HDPE come in both pigmented and unpigmented resins.
The unpigmented resin is translucent. It also has good stiffness and
barrier properties. Thus, it is ideal for packaging products having a
short shelf-life such as milk. HDPE's good chemical resistance allows
it to be used in containers holding household or inductrial chemicals.
The pigmented resin has even better crack resistance and chemical
resistance than the unpigmented resin.
Packaging applications:
Milk containers,
juice bottles, water bottles, bleach, detergent, and shampoo bottles,
trash bags, grocery and retail carrying bags, motor oil bottles, butter
and margarine tubs, household cleaner bottles, yogurt containers, and
cereal box liners.
Recycled products derived from this plastic:
Drainage pipe, liquid laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens,
benches, doghouses, recycling containers, floor tile, picnic tables,
fencing, lumber, and mailbox posts.
| |
| Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, sometimes V)
| |
| Description:
Vinyl, or polyvinylchloride, has stable electrical and physical
properties. It has excellent chemical resistance and good
weatherability. Its flow characteristics make it well-suited for
injection molding.
Packaging applications:
Window cleaner
bottles, cooking oil bottles, detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, clear
food packaging, wire and cable jacketing, medical tubing, with
additional significant usage in household products and building
materials, particularly siding, piping, and windows.
Recycled products derived from this plastic:
Binders, decking, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, and mats.
| |
| Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
| |
| Description:
Because of its toughness , flexibility,
and transparency, LDPE is commonly used in applications where heat
sealing is necessary. It is also widely used in wire and cable
insulation and jacketing.
Packaging applications:
Squeezable bottles, breadbags, frozen food bags, tote bags, clothing, furniture, dry cleaning bags, and carpet.
Recycled products derived from this plastic:
Film and sheet, loor tile, garbage can liners, shipping envelopes,
furniture, compost bins, paneling, trash cans, lumber, landscaping ties.
| |
| Polypropylene (PP)
| |
| Description:
Polypropylene has the lowest density of the resins used in packaging.
It is strong and is resistant to chemicals. Since it has a high
melting-point it can be utilized in applications requiring that a
container be filled with a hot liquid.
Packaging applications:
Yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws, medicine bottles.
Recycled products derived from this plastic:
Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice
scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, and
trays.
| |
| Polystyrene (PS)
| |
| Description:
Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foamed products. It has a relatively low melting point.
Packaging applications:
Plates, cups, cutlery, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc jackets.
Recycled products derived from this plastic:
Thermal insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers
| |
| OTHER
| |
| Description:
The category of "Other" includes any resin not specifically numbered 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, or combinations of one or more of these resins.
Packaging applications:
Three and five gallon water bottles, certain food product bottles.
Recycled products derived from this plastic:
Plastic lumber, custom-made products.
| |
|
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
| |
| Description:
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene was not part of the original resin identification system.
Packaging applications:
Pipes, car bumpers, toy building blocks, golf club heads, enclosures.
Note:
The three components of ABS, acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene are considered probable human carcinogens.
|
|