Know Your Plastics

This is some interesting information about plastics that I ran into on a discussion board recently.

Get to know your plastics.

Do You Know What Plastic Recycling Symbols Mean?

The Daily Green offers this handy guide on the various types of plastic:

Number 1 Plastics -- PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)

Found In: Soft drinks, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles;
peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers;
ovenable food trays.
Recycling: Pick up through most curbside recycling programs.
Recycled Into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet,
paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers
It poses low risk of leaching breakdown products. Recycling rates
remain relatively low (around 20 percent), though the material is in
high demand by remanufacturers.

Number 2 Plastics -- HDPE (high density polyethylene)

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 tubs; cereal box liners
Recycling: Pick up through most curbside recycling programs, although
some only allow those containers with necks.
Recycled Into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling
containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses,
picnic tables, fencing
HDPE carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many goods.

Number 3 Plastics -- V (Vinyl) or PVC

Found In: Window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles,
cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, wire jacketing, medical
equipment, siding, windows, piping
Recycling: Rarely recycled; accepted by some plastic lumber makers.
Recycled Into: Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring,
cables, speed bumps, mats
PVC contains chlorine, so its manufacture can release highly dangerous
dioxins. If you must cook with PVC, don't let the plastic touch food.
Never burn PVC, because it releases toxins.

Number 4 Plastics -- LDPE (low density polyethylene)

Found In: Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning and
shopping bags; tote bags; clothing; furniture; carpet
Recycling: LDPE is not often recycled through curbside programs, but
some communities will accept it. Plastic shopping bags can be returned
to many stores for recycling.
Recycled Into: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping
envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile
Historically, LDPE has not been accepted through most American
curbside recycling programs, but more and more communities are
starting to accept it.

Number 5 Plastics -- PP (polypropylene)

Found In: Some yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles,
caps, straws, medicine bottles
Recycling: Number 5 plastics can be recycled through some curbside programs.
Recycled Into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto
battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes,
bins, pallets, trays
Polypropylene has a high melting point, and so is often chosen for
containers that must accept hot liquid. It is gradually becoming more
accepted by recyclers.

Number 6 Plastics -- PS (polystyrene)

Found In: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons,
carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases
Recycling: Number 6 plastics can be recycled through some curbside programs.
Recycled Into: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents,
rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers
Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foam products -- in the latter
case it is popularly known as the trademark Styrofoam. Evidence
suggests polystyrene can leach potential toxins into foods. The
material was long on environmentalists' hit lists for dispersing
widely across the landscape, and for being notoriously difficult to
recycle.

Number 7 Plastics -- Miscellaneous

Found In: Three- and five-gallon water bottles, 'bullet-proof'
materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and
displays, certain food containers, nylon
Recycling: Number 7 plastics have traditionally not been recycled,
though some curbside programs now take them.
Recycled Into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products
A wide variety of plastic resins that don't fit into the previous
categories are lumped into number 7. A few are even made from plants
(polyactide) and are compostable. Polycarbonate is number 7, and is
the hard plastic that has parents worried these days, after studies
have shown it can leach potential hormone disruptors.