Plastics by the Numbers

Have you ever seen numbers on plastics and wondered what they mean?  There are hundreds of different types of plastics, with different properties, making them more flexible or ridged.

The numbers 1-7 on plastics indicate what type of plastic is used in your bottle, container, or shopping bag. Here’s a quick guide to knowing what these numbers really mean.

  1. Plastics labeled with a 1 are  PETE and are typically found in food or beverage bottles and are easily recyclable. PETE is most common for single-use items.
  2. Number 2 plastic is HDPE, which is used in clean product bottles. It is considered a safe plastic, because it doesn’t break down easily and is easily recycled.
  3. Number 3 is for PVC, which is commonly used in piping and other building materials. When burned, PVC releases toxic gases into the environment and is harder to recycle because of this toxicity.
  4. Plastic bags are commonly made from LDPE, number 4, and can be recycled in bulk. You can return shopping bags to your grocery store to recycle them, but never put individual plastic shopping bags into the recycling bin.
  5. Number 5 plastic is found in straws and squeeze bottles. Some of these products can be recycled, but straws are not recyclable.
  6. Styrofoam is made from PS plastic with the number 6. Evidence has shown that these plastics leak toxins into their environment relatively easily and take millennia to degrade naturally. Number 6 plastics can be recycled if collected properly. At Tufts, the Science and Technology Center collects styrofoam in bulk for specialty recycling.
  7. The last category, number 7, is miscellaneous plastics. The attributes and recyclability of the plastics are variable.

To learn more about how recycling works watch this great video from Sci Show:

Be sure to check the numbers on the bottom of your plastics and refer to this guide to recycle your plastics correctly. Recycling is a great way to reduce our environmental footprint and a big step toward making our world more sustainable, but remember that reducing use and reusing items should always come before recycling.

7 Comments

  1. sex in weißenfels

    Jeder Austausch mit sex in weißenfels aus Deutschland im Netz ist eine einzigartige Erfahrung. Ihre Eleganz und Herzlichkeit verwandeln eine angenehme Atmosphäre in jedem Gespräch.

  2. tsgirls

    Jede Interaktion mit spannenden tsgirls im Internet ist ein wertvolles Erfahrung.

  3. sex in aberdeen

    Talking with interesting sex in aberdeen via the web is a memorable experience.

  4. oma sexkontakt

    Mit faszinierende oma sexkontakt online zu kommunizieren ist eine aufregende Erfahrung. Ihre Kreativität und ihr Charme prägen jedes Unterhaltung zu einem wertvollen Moment.

  5. transen sex nrw

    Mit faszinierenden transen sex nrw online zu chatten ist eine wertvolle Erfahrung. Ihre Weisheit geben jeder Diskussion eine bedeutungsvolle Note.

  6. Paul Clark

    The content is so good, I’m liking it immediately. Thanks to the New practice questions C1000-107 book exam, I achieved a promotion and salary raise. Now, I’m offering them to you at no cost!

  7. Neil White

    Thank you for your brilliant article, it’s truly mind-blowing! The Vce C-S4TM-2023 file content is great, and you can enjoy it at no expense.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.