We have all seen those little arrows on plastic products with different numbers on them. Look at the bottom of any soft drink bottle or printed on plastic bags, these arrowed triangular codes are everywhere. But what do these recycling symbols actually mean?
In 1988, the American Society of Plastics Industry created these codes to represent the type of resin used in plastics. The presence of the symbol implies that the plastic item is recyclable, but it is actually intended to identify the plastic resin from which the item was made. Recyclability is ultimately determined by local collections and reprocessing facilities.
1: PET or PETE: Polyethylene Terephthalate
PET is commonly used for soft drink & water bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter containers. It is the most widely recycled plastic.
2: HDPE: High-Density Polyethylene
Identifies milk, cider & water jugs, detergent, fabric softener & bleach bottles. HDPE is slightly waxy and semi-rigid. It does not crack. It floats in water.
3: VC: Polyvinyl Chloride
Also abbreviated V, PVC is used in salad dressing bottles, vegetable oil bottles and mouthwash bottles. PVC is smooth, scratches easily and sinks in water.
4: LDPE: Low-Density Polyethylene
LDPE is used in flexible bags for dry cleaning, trash, produce, bread and shrink wrap. Recycled LDPE is often used to make grocery bags.
5: PP: Polypropylene
PP is usually is found in drinking straws, battery cases, some dairy tubs, bottles labels and caps, and rope. PP stretches into filaments and emits a chemical smell when burned.
6: PS: Polystyrene
PS and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) both are No. 6 plastics. PS and EPS are commonly used in packaging peanuts and other packaging materials and in plastic utensils, mean and egg trays. PS sinks in water; EPS floats.
7: Other
Other plastics often are made of multiple resins or layers of different types of plastics. These may include microwave packages, snack bags and industrial plastics.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.
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Robert Piller is President of EcoMarketingSolutions.com, which helps companies that are “going green” to better promote and market their brand using eco-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 25,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in any price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.
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