In the United States, most products have a recycling code printed somewhere on the surface. This includes all types of packaging, including plastic packaging, cardboard packaging, glass and metal. Each of these codes identifies what materials were used to create the products and they are helpful to those who work at recycling facilities. Here is some information about the different codes and what they mean.
The codes might look all the similar, just a number or two inside of a triangle. To identify the actual materials used for making the item, it is the number embossed inside the triangle which is the key. The numbers ranging from 1 to 7 are used solely for plastics and will refer to the resin identification codes or basically the types of polymers that were used. For example, with polyethylene terephthalate, the mark you will see would be a triangle with the number 1 or 01 in it and this means it is a thermoplastic that is usually used for making products like soda bottles and water bottles. The number 9 is also used in addition to the seven numbers for the kind of plastic called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Sometimes the letters ABS are used instead, and this plastic is used to make computer and cellular phone parts.
Recycling centers also recycle all kinds of paper. There are also numbers used to identify the several types of paper products which are the numbers 20, 21, 22 and 23. The number 20 is used for the cardboard and paper like magazines and mailed items will use the number 21. Regular paper like the printer paper uses the number 22. Paperboard that is the thick paper for making poster boards, greeting cards and book covers uses number 23.
The number 40 or 41 are used for metals. Steel uses the number 40 while for aluminum the number 41 is used. Sometimes though the number 41 is not used for aluminum but instead there are letters used - ALU. Aluminum can be used again and again to create products because it is the most recyclable metal on the planet. Almost all "tin" cans are made by using aluminum due to its abundance and malleability.
Organic materials such as wood, cork and cotton also have their own number designations. For example, wood has been given a code of 50. Cork is listed as number 51 and it's not just used to preserve wine. Cork is also used for flooring, in musical instruments and sometimes even in printers. Cotton is designated as number 60 and you might be surprised to know that some cotton actually can be recycled.
Another item that is separated into many categories is glass and there are ten different categories for this material. Glass is generally classified into categories specified by their color like clear glass, green glass, dark glass and many more. Composites also have their own section which might include paper and plastic or even a mixture of the two. The problem is there are many cities out there that have no recycling centers for these items. There are some areas which could only recycle plastics which have a 1 or 2 on them and also aluminum.
The codes might look all the similar, just a number or two inside of a triangle. To identify the actual materials used for making the item, it is the number embossed inside the triangle which is the key. The numbers ranging from 1 to 7 are used solely for plastics and will refer to the resin identification codes or basically the types of polymers that were used. For example, with polyethylene terephthalate, the mark you will see would be a triangle with the number 1 or 01 in it and this means it is a thermoplastic that is usually used for making products like soda bottles and water bottles. The number 9 is also used in addition to the seven numbers for the kind of plastic called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Sometimes the letters ABS are used instead, and this plastic is used to make computer and cellular phone parts.
Recycling centers also recycle all kinds of paper. There are also numbers used to identify the several types of paper products which are the numbers 20, 21, 22 and 23. The number 20 is used for the cardboard and paper like magazines and mailed items will use the number 21. Regular paper like the printer paper uses the number 22. Paperboard that is the thick paper for making poster boards, greeting cards and book covers uses number 23.
The number 40 or 41 are used for metals. Steel uses the number 40 while for aluminum the number 41 is used. Sometimes though the number 41 is not used for aluminum but instead there are letters used - ALU. Aluminum can be used again and again to create products because it is the most recyclable metal on the planet. Almost all "tin" cans are made by using aluminum due to its abundance and malleability.
Organic materials such as wood, cork and cotton also have their own number designations. For example, wood has been given a code of 50. Cork is listed as number 51 and it's not just used to preserve wine. Cork is also used for flooring, in musical instruments and sometimes even in printers. Cotton is designated as number 60 and you might be surprised to know that some cotton actually can be recycled.
Another item that is separated into many categories is glass and there are ten different categories for this material. Glass is generally classified into categories specified by their color like clear glass, green glass, dark glass and many more. Composites also have their own section which might include paper and plastic or even a mixture of the two. The problem is there are many cities out there that have no recycling centers for these items. There are some areas which could only recycle plastics which have a 1 or 2 on them and also aluminum.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys writing about how stuff is made. For further information about custom plastic packaging solutions or to find out more about food packaging design, please check out the Indepak website today.
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