Plastic recycling symbols

     Probably you have already seen some symbols on plastics, but you don’t know what they mean. Don’t worry; in no time at all we’re going to explain you.

     These are the symbols that you can find:

     Maybe they can appear with some changes like:

      The last picture informs us of these plastics have already been recycled. Because they are written with an R (recycled) before the acronym.

     And after this brief introduction, we start with the plastics’ classification:

1.   POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET and PETG)

     This kind of plastic is usually used to packaging food; bottles of soda, water, beer, mouthwash juice and vegetable oil. It’s really common because it’s lightweight, cheap, easily recyclable and strength. Recycling this plastic we can obtain new PET, fabric for clothing, furniture, car’s parts and more items.

     PETG is a co-polymer of PET and it has a good resistance to impact. It’s used to contain shampoos, detergents, soaps…

2. HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE)

     It’s used for packaging cleaning or chemical products (such as shampoo, detergent, chlorine, bleach, etc.) and foods like milk, juice, water or yogurt. It’s also used to make plastic carrier bags. Its properties are strength, resistance of wetness and chemicals and permeability to gas. If we recycle it, we can obtain tubes, detergent bottles, oil bottles, picnic tables, pens, mailbox posts, recycling containers…

     3. POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) and VINYL (V)

     The main difference between these plastics is polyvinyl chloride contains chlorine (if it burns, it produces carcinogenic toxins) and vinyl not, as their names say. We can package cooking oil, detergent shampoo, etc. It’s also used to make windows, wire and cable jacketing or piping. Properties: toughness, strength, clarity and resistance. Unfortunately this plastic isn’t usually recycled but when it’s recycled we can obtain roadway gutters, paneling, flooring…

       4. LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (LDPE)

     We can find this plastic in squeezable bottles, bread bags, frozen food bags, clothes, furniture or carpets. This plastic is tough, flexible and transparent. After recycling, we obtain trash cans, compost bins, furniture, panelling, floor tile, etc.

       5. POLYPROPYLENE (PP)

     This type of plastic is found in yogurt containers, syrup bottles, medicine bottles or caps. It has resistance to heat (because it has a high melting-point), is strong and resistant. If we recycle it, we obtain signal lights, brooms brushes, battery cables, bins or trays.

        6. POLYSTYRENE (PS)

     This kind of plastic is used to make plates, cups, compact dick jackets, meat trays or egg cartons. It’s clear, a good thermal insulation and has low melting-point. Recycling this plastic we obtain thermal insulation (due to its properties), egg cartons, carry-out containers, rulers or vents. Nevertheless it’s too difficult  recycle it and can produce toxins.

     7. OTHER

     In this category are included all plastics not specifically previously or combinations of them. Because of this, its properties are very varied. We can find this in some plastics bottles, DVD, sunglasses, food packaging, computers, etc. It’s too difficult to recycle it owing to its diversity.