| Plastic plays an essential part in our current society. It's found all over -- the most common material used to make products for people's convenience -- containers, cell phone casing, plastic bags, etc. Have you ever thought of the explanation of those symbols found in your plastic-made items?
Plastic recycling symbols stand for the specialized types of resin used to create the material. These emblems are specified according to the international Plastic Coding System, and are customarily portrayed as a number (from 1 through 7) confined by a triangle or a simplified triangular loop (also known as the Mobius loop), with an acronym of the unique material used, right under the triangle.
Here are barebones definitions of each of the 7 recycling icons commonly used, at present:
1 - PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephalate Ethylene)
Light weight, cheap, and easy to make, Polyethylene Terephalate Ethylene is the most prevalent plastic resin in use today. PET is primarily used in softdrink bottles, salad dressing containers, and peanut butter containers. It can be reused into polar fleece, fiber, plastic furniture, etc. The necessity for this material among recyclers is quite strong, but at the moment, the recycling rate for this material has remained low at 20%.
2 - HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
High Density Polyethylene is more resilient and less vulnerable to chemical decomposition, this material poses a relatively moderate danger of seeping toxins when used as receptacle for food and drinks. It is primarily used as containers for common household chemicals (shampoos, detergents, etc.), juice bottles, milk jugs, etc. This can be reconstituted into canine houses, motor oil bottles, new HDPE bottles, recycling containers, etc.
3 - PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
PVC has been recognized as a health risk - it has been established to frequently drain toxins when used as containers. PVC is usually used for piping, jewelry cleaner bottles, shampoo bottles, etc. It contains chlorine and will release toxins if incinerated. PVC should be excluded in food preparation or food packaging. It can be remade into cable, speed humps, flooring, etc.
4 - LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene )
LDPE is manufactured into plastic bags, clothing, carpets, etc. Durable but also flexible, it is perfect for packaging, insulation, and sealing. LDPE, through many curbside recycling programs, can be remade into paneling, shipping envelopes, and plastic lumber.
5 - PP (Polypropylene)
PP is most suitable for boiling fluid containers and is also processed into bottle caps, battery cables, vehicular battery cases, etc. PP can be remade into signal lights, brooms, pallets, etc.
6 - PS (Polystyrene)
Polystyrene is an excellent material for insulation and is used in foam products like expanded polystyrene (EPS), generically known as styrofoam. It is found in carry-out food containers, meat trays, CD cases. PS contains benzene, a cancer-causing chemical and should not be burned. It is recycled into insulation, model rail road objects, rulers, etc.
7 - OTHER (Polycarbonate)
Recycling symbol 7 - OTHER represents materials not matching with any of the other 6 resin groupings. OTHER may also signify a hybrid resin made up of a combination of those materials. It is commonly found in baby milk containers, flak vests, store signages, certain food product bottles, etc. It can be recycled into plastic lumber and other tailored objects.
Not all number 7 plastics are polycarbonate, a few are even compostable. Polycarbonate has become the axis of a regulatory firestorm in recent years, as it is monitored to leach BPA (bisphenol A), a hormonal disruptor that may may potentially alter pregnancy and fetal growth.
In our current health-conscious world, a rudimentary familiarity with the materials that we allow to come into contact with our food or our skin can generally amount to the difference between a healthy family and a household endangered by deadly substances and carcinogens. Although recycling symbols are essentially designed to aid personnel in recycling establishments, in sorting out materials , recognizing these logos is rapidly becoming necessary in safeguarding our own health and that of our loved ones. |
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