Plastic Recycle numbers, do you read plastic labels too?
If you are new to recycling, perhaps you’ve wondered just what those numbers mean in the middle of the recycle symbol. Most folks are aware that it helps folks in recycle facilities figure out how to sort the plastic for processing but how much more about them do you know? Here’s a short list that may help. All plastic is not alike. If you turn on the news, you already know this and have heard of those that warn against using plastic for certain things.
There are many warning for which plastics to use in the microwave or which kinds are greener, etc. I figure let’s start with the basics and then we can get fancy from there! It’s a bit like another whole label to read. We should look at the ingredients of what we are buying AND look to see it’s recycle number on packaging. I myself have been quite too relaxed on this issue but that will change after researching this blog post! I really had no idea. We need to get the word out to those that don’t know as well as remind those that do know but aren’t always paying attention. (Let’s face it, we all have our days!)
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PET or PETE – Polyethylene Terephalate Ethylene – typically water bottles, soda bottles, peanut butter jars, frozen food trays for freezing and baking in oven, mouth wash, liquid soap bottles. Its draw is that it’s one of the easiest plastics to recycle. There are some that have concerns on this though if you look here. |
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HDPE – High Density Polyethylene – typically shampoo bottles, bleach bottles, detergents, motor oil bottles, plastic grocery sacks, water and milk jugs. I’m not finding a whole lot about health hazards with this plastic other than testing is on going. |
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PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride – It can be made softer and more flexible by the addition of plasticizers, the most widely-used being phthalates. In this form, it is used in clothing and upholstery, and to make flexible hoses and tubing, flooring, to roofing membranes, and electrical cable insulation. It is also commonly used in figurines and in inflatable products such as waterbeds, pool toys or jump houses. IMHO, this is one of those plastics you really should learn a bit about and steer clear of.
Grn.com says “window cleaner, cooking oils, and detergent bottles” I have found a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid only in my home. I will tell you that there are plastic objects that don’t have any labeling at all. Tupperware being some of them. Those things will be purged this month I can tell you! Out with the old and in with the glass! |
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LDPE – Low Density Polyethylene – plastic bags and grocery sacks, dry cleaning bags and flexible film packaging, and some bottles, Trays & general purpose containers, Playground slides, Six-pack soda can rings, computer components, such as hard drives, screen cards and disk-drives. |
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PP – Polypropylene – caps, disks, syrup bottles, yogurt, butter tubs, straws and film packaging, Gerber baby bottles, medicine bottles. This lovely can degrade if exposed to UV sunlight. PP is also used in certain medical applications such as hernia repair. I checked and found my trays from the local chinese take-out are made of this plastic. Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) is a foam form of polypropylene that is used in model aircraft for hobbists. |
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PS – Polystyrene – (Styrofoam to you and me) meat trays, egg cartons, plates, cutlery, carry-out containers and clear trays, CD and DVD cases, coffee and drink cups. – Benzene, which is used to produce ethylbenzene for styrene, is a known carcinogen. As well, unpolymerized styrene may pose health risks. Even with this, EPA has not given a formal carcinogen classification to styrene. Should we take the chance? It’s up to us to decide where our dollars go! |
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Other – Any combination of said plastics – I don’t know about you, but yikes! Since it could contain any of these, you don’t know if the combination is safe or not. Concerning that it also includes the new, safer, biodegradable bio-based plastics made from renewable resources such as corn and potato starch, and sugar cane. |
So how is that? Just enough info to make things clear as mud? Well knowing that we are not alone is a good thing. If you have something to add here, please do so in the comments section. It’s been an interesting few hours going through looking for the recycle codes on items all over the house.
Go with glass and Stainless steel many say. I have been fortunate enough to inherit some beautiful pieces of container glass that don’t have plastic at all…lid is glass too. Those containers are hard to find these days. I hope that the kitchen tools folks are listening and will bring them back! Sounds like that’s another blog post!
Happy Washing!
~Regina
Sources: Global Recycling Network, Life without plastic, Wikipedia.org, the daily green
3 Comments
Lorraine
We are about to return a 5-gallon plastic water bottle made in Mexico. It was sold empty and is designed to be refillable and fit a standard in-home water cooler. It has no number in the triangle, but does have a drawing of a plastic bottle with “PMSA” inside. It has a label describing how to clean it with tap water and bleach every 6-8 weeks. My concern is the store’s willingness to deliberately mislead consumers by stocking unnumbered plastic containers. What is your take on the situation?
Regina
Hello Lorraine!
Thanks for taking the time to post here. I understand your concern with the 5-gallon water bottle. If the labeling is to help us recycle and know what kind of plastic we are dealing with, then you don’t have enough information on your bottle. If it were mine, I’d take it back and if I could find someone to answer those questions about what kind of plastic, then I might decide from there. I don’t know if store’s are deliberate in their misleading or not. I know that we are the ones that must decide what we will buy. If we all stop buying products without labeling, then you better bet those stores will change their inventory! It’s a shame that these safety guidelines have to be started from the consumer but the fact is, we can change the market one family at a time with awareness. *hops off the soap box*
~Regina
Tim
Regina,
Even the “stamp for recycling” on the bottom of the plastic are misleading. Take for example #1 PET or PETE which as you say is suppose to be the easiest plastic to recycle. That symbol or stamp is suppose to be our guarantee that this container is totally reusable after recycling so we can feel good that we aren’t contributing to more carbon footprint. Well there’s more to this than what we are lead to believe. That symbol is given to a bare bottle not one with an adhesive plastic label or ink on it. Here’s the catch, you cannot recycle back for reusing if you have contamination from other foreign matter in the grinding of the plastic. Even though recyclers try to wash the plastic to get it as clean as possible, some adhesives, paper and other foreign label matter will keep this plastic a carbon footprint, most likely forever!! Don’t believe everything that is printed from the manufacture. Hopefully the industry will regulate itself, but if not, slowly the people or the consumer will. Thanks for having this platform to speak from.
Tim