Plastic

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of this environment-appreciating holiday, I'm going to discuss recycling, particularly plastic recycling. Ever since I chose to do my final service project on plastic, I’ve been thinking a lot about plastics and where it ends up. Sometimes it’s quite overwhelming, and I feel like I need to replace every little piece of plastic in my life with reusable options. This, of course, isn’t really a realistic goal, but there are certainly little changes that all of us can make sure that anything that can be recycled is recycled.

RIC symbols 

I’m pretty optimistic and I like to think that people (here in the north shore at least) are pretty good about recycling. But I think that fewer people are aware that not all plastic is created equal, and as a result not all types can be recycled. Recyclability is based on a Resin Identification Code (RIC) that was created in 1988 when the plastics industry realized that maybe recycling would be a good idea. The code runs from 1-7 and simply lets recyclers know what type of plastic they’re dealing with. You can find this number at the bottom of plastic products surrounded by a chasing arrows. The code is only placed on products 8 ounces or bigger and, interestingly, is required to be “inconspicuous” so as not to influence the consumer’s choices.

I made a list below of the 7 types of plastic, their industrial names, and whether or not they can be recycled. I’ve also listed common products made out of the different types of plastic to make it easier to tell what we can recycle and what we can’t. Recyclable plastics are the green ones, while the red are non recyclable.

1 - Polyethylene terephthalate (PET/PETE) - these are the plastics we as consumers encounter most often, and they are easily recycled into all sorts of things. PET is durable, transparent, and safe, so it's a versatile option for many manufacturers.

Products: plastic bottles, cleaning product containers, cosmetics, food containers

2 - High density polyethylene (HDPE) - HDPE usually is used to make thicker containers for heavier products because it's stronger that PET. It is very durable and toxic to use or make. It is also easily recycled. 

Products: detergent, bleach, cat litter, milk, shampoo, motor oil

3 - Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - PVC is very cheap, but is widely considered to be quite toxic, especially during production and when it ends up in landfills. The health effects of these toxins are still a point of debate.

Products: pipes, electrical insulation, shower curtains, toys, plastic bags, medical feeding tubes, blood bags, IV bags, raincoats, credit cards

4 - Low density polyethylene (LDPE) - LDPE is more flexible than HDPE but it much harder to recycle, so most centers don't accept it.

Products: lab equipment (pipettes, squeeze bottles), grocery bags, Ziploc bags, shrink wrap, food wrapping

5 - Polypropylene - this plastic has a very high melting point, can be used as a solid or as a fiber, and it can be colored.

Products: Tupperware, carpeting, car parts

6 - Polystyrene - also known as Styrofoam, polystyrene is very good at insulating. It's easily recycled into a variety of new products.

Products: disposable utensils, plastic plates, packing peanuts, coffee cups

7 - Other - these are usually products that contain multiple types of resins mixed together. Because the resins can't be separated once they've been mixed together, number 7 plastics are obviously not recyclable. Number 7 plastics also include newer plastics made containing acrylic, fiberglass, nylon or plastic made from corn, starch, etc.

Products: I couldn't really find a list of number 7 products, mostly because this whole category needs to be revised very soon.