Do you know the meaning of each "Recycle Signs" ?
Well, Do you know the meaning of recycle sign? Recycle sign is not only designed for consumer's benefit but also meant to assist the recyclers who sort out the collected materials in a recycling facility.
Lately I'm quite interested in topics related with "recycle sign". Because of my curiosity about plastic recycle and found it's very important for us to know this information.
In recent years, plastic recycling signs are also commonly used as indicator by some people to determine the presence of what is perceived to be health-threatening chemicals. Hereby, I've prepared some summaries related to our daily usage in Plastics which is usually used as container for foods and beverages.
Usually you can find recycle sign at the bottom of the container.
PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephalate Ethylene)
1. PET (also known as polyester, represented by the plastic recycle symbol number 1) is the most popular material used in disposable bottled beverages, food, and non-food packaging.
Lightweight, inexpensive, easy to recycle, PET poses low risk of “leaching” breakdown products but experts caution against any repeated usage. PET is in very high demand among re-manufacturers but the recycling rate for this material has remained low at around 20%.
2. Found In: Soft drink, water, juice, and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays.
3. Recycled Into: Automotive parts, such as luggage racks, headliners, fuse boxes, bumpers, grilles and door panels; Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) PET, new containers.
HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
1. HDPE (recycle symbol no.2) is commonly used for packaging products with short-shelf life and common household chemicals and is believed to pose a low risk of contaminating contents with breakdown products.
Versatile in its uses, HDPE are produced in either pigmented or un-pigmented resin, with the pigmented variety found to be more resistant to chemicals and breakage.
2. Found In: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; some trash and shopping bags; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt containers; cereal box liners, bleach bottles.
3. Recycled Into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing, mailbox posts, chairs, toys.
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
1. PVC (recycle symbol no.3) is a tough, flexible, and chemical-resistant plastic commonly used for piping and and injection-molding.
Rarely recycled, this plastic is considered to be dangerous in relation to food preparation and should not be allowed to come into contact with food when cooking.
It contains chlorine and will release toxins to the environment if burned.
2. Found In: Window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, wire jacketing, medical equipment, siding, windows, piping. Also used for peanut butter jars and water jugs, wire and cable jacketing.
3. Recycled Into: Decking, panels, binders, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats
LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene )
1. LDPE (recycle symbol no.4) is a tough and flexible plastic that has many uses, including heat-sealing nd insulation applications.
LDPE is not normally recycled through community recycling programs, but in the past years, the number of local recycle programs that accept LDPE has increased.
2. Found In: Plastic bags and grocery sacks, dry cleaning bags and flexible film packaging, Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning and shopping bags; tote bags; clothing; furniture; carpet
3. Recycled Into: Film and sheet, trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping tiles, floor tile.
PP (Polypropylene)
1. PP (recycle logo no.5) is chemical-resistant, has a high melting point, and has the lowest density of all resins used in packaging.
It is widely used in containers designed for hot liquids.
2. Found in: Yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws, medicine bottles, straws and film packaging.
3. Recycled into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, and trays.
PS (Polystyrene)
1. PS (recycle symbol no.6) is characterized by its low melting point and is a good material for insulation. It can be manufactured into rigid foam products like the trademark Styrofoam. This material has long been on the watch list of environmentalists because of its widespread use and difficulty in recycling. Current evidence suggest that Polystyrene can leach toxins into food.
2. Found in: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases.
3. Recycled into: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, egg trays, fast food packaging, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers.
Other (Polycarbonate)
1. The category “Other” (recycle symbol no. 7) includes material not categorized under any of the resin classifications above or combinations of any of those.
2. Found in: Three and five gallon water bottles, certain food product bottles, , ‘bullet-proof’ materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon, outdoor and camping bottles, gym bottles, baby bottles.
3. Recycled into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products.
In recent years, Plastics Symbol no. 7 became the focus of growing concern worldwide as it was found out that many no.7 plastics are made with Polycarbonate plastic which, under scientific experiments, were discovered to leach Bisphenol A. This is a type of chemical known to be a hormonal disruptor causing miscarriages and birth defects, according to a study conducted by Case Western Reserve scientists. “Synthetic xenoestrogens,” one of which is Bisphenol A or BPA “are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.”
Hope this information will be benefit to whom I care for ^^
Please kindly drop some comments if have any doubt or useful information
Source
Labels: Health Care
February 26, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Great post!!
Do you know, is bisphenol A a problem only with type 7 plastics, or other plastics too?
(I've heard it speculated it might be a problem with tins too...?) top
May 4, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Thanks a lot for viewing my blog and sorry for late replying ^^
I've searched for some webs regarding you mentioned above and I found Bisphenol A is used primarily to make plastics in the synthesis of polyesters, polysulfones, and polyether ketones, as an antioxidant in some plasticizers, and as a polymerization inhibitor in PVC.
Besides this, it is also found in Epoxy resins (used as coatings on the inside of almost all food and beverage cans).
Hope these information will be useful to you top
May 7, 2009 at 6:20 AM
WOW, thank you very much for all of your research!! :)
It's very helpful!!
Polyesters too-?!! OoO I love some of my polyester pants!! hmm..?!!
Are you a student of chemistry to be so knowledgeable in this?
And sorry I didn't remember you straight away - I read a lot of great blogs & sometimes my memory is not-so-great!! :)
Love the name of your blog & it *did* sound very familiar!! :) top
May 8, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Thanks ^^.
I like your blog so much and love to read your post "a day at a farm" too.
"Candy bar" sounds very familiar for you?hmm...any similar blog's name that you've read before (maybe)
Polyesters pant? hmm...it shouldn't have any side effect on us.lolx
Polyesters are also used to make bottles and other food or beverage container.
Well, actually I'm not a student of chemistry but recently interested in topics of "recycle sign" and I did some researches in websites about that :)
Btw, allow me to briefly introduce myself.
My name is Ren, I'm 22 yrs old and I'm an undergraduate of computer science and majored in web e-commerce programming and love photoshop designing.
Nice to meet u top