Definitely, Plastic is a good product. It is energy saver, light, reduces fuel costs to be transported. It is a kind of protector packing with the
minimum of materials compared with others. If you look around, in the job, office, home, school, stores, etc., you will realized that it is used
practically in everything. It is a material which compared with aluminum or glass is cheaper to manufacture and even buy it in its different presentations.
What does the triangles marked in the bottom of the bottles mean?
They help to identify the kind of Plastic which is being used. There are too many types of plastics which are very similar in their color and texture,
but the composition and usage for each one is different. Besides, they help to identify when they are going to be recycled and in some countries it is a
regulation that each container must have this identification code.
What plastics can I recycle?
All the types of plastics are recyclable.
Next you can find the most common 6 types of resins in the packing world. It is worth to mention that there are an endless number of resins types which composition
obeys to other kind of applications in plastic items but they are not containers and will no contain something for human consumption, as per instance the shoes soles,
automotive parts, products for the construction industry, among others.
Symbol
Type of Plastic
Proprerties
Common use
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
Food contact, physical resistance, thermal properties, barrier properties, lightness and chemical resistance.
It is not very flexible, resistant to chemicals, opaque, easy to dye, manufacture and handle. It gets soft at 75°C.
Some bags for the supermarket, bags to frozen items, containers for milk, ice cream, juice, shampoo, chemical and detergents, buckets, caps, etc.
PVC (Plasticised Polyvinyl Chloride PCV-P)
It is hard, resistant, it may be clear, it can be used with solvents, and it is soften at 80°C. Flexible, clear, elastic; it can be used with solvents.
Containers for plumbing, piping, “blister packs”, containers in general, hoses, soles for shoes, cables, cords for watches.
LDPE (Low density Polyethylene)
Soft, flexible, translucent, it gets soft at 70°C, it gets scratched easily.
Film for packing, bags for trash, “squeezable” packing, containers for labs.
PP (Polypropylene)
Difficult but even flexible, it gets soft at 140°C, translucent; it can have solvents, versatile.
Bags for fried snacks, straws, gardening equipment, boxes for food, strips for packing, containers for veterinarian and pharmaceutical use.
PS (Polystyrene)
Clear, rigid, opaque, it breaks easily; it gets soft at 95°C. It is affected by grease and solvents.
Boxes for compact discs, covered with plastic, crystal imitations, toys, containers for cosmetics.
PS-E (Expanded Polystyrene)
Foamed, light, absorbs energy, and keeps temperature.
Cups for hot beverages, trays for food to go, dry ice containers, packages to protect fragile items.
Other (SAN, ABS, PC, NYLON)
Includes a lot of resins and materials. Their properties depend on the combination of plastics.
Automobile parts, coolers, electronics, parts for packing.
