Plastic Recycling Symbols

Have you ever wondered what the numbers on inside the recycling symbol means? As a kid, I used to think that it meant the number of times the item was recycled, but how very wrong I was. It turns out the number inside the recycling symbol is the type of resin or plastic that was used in making the material.

It's important for us to know what these symbols mean so that we can properly recycle items and avoid items that are difficult to recycle.

Number 1 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polyethylene Terephthalate

Found In: Plastic drinking bottles and common food packaging

Characteristics: Lightweight, usually squeezable, thin

Readily Recycled: Yes

Recycled Into: Bottles, polyester fibers (used in carpets and other fabrics), furniture, bags

Health Risk: Low

Number 2 Plastic

Chemical Compound: High Density Polyethylene

Found In: Detergent bottles, bleach bottles, shampoo bottles, condiment bottles

Characteristics: Moderate weigh, rarely squeezable, thick

Readily Recycled: Yes

Recycled Into: Bottles, bags, pens, fence

Health Risk: Low

Number 3 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polyvinyl Chloride or Vinyl

Found In: Electronic cables, pipes, toys, furniture, almost in everything
Characteristics: Elastic when thin, very tough when hard. Tough. Not easily weathered. Water- and flame resistant

Readily Recycled: No, very difficult to recycle because it contains heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Very few accept PVC in recycling because of it's environmental and health threats.

Recycled Into: Cables, paneling

Health Risk: Moderate. Do not put near food, especially when flamed.. Do not burn or incinerate. PVC contains Dioxine which is a man-made poison that can kill. It stays in the body for a long time and weakens the body.

Number 4 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Low Density Polyethylene

Found In: Wrappers, grocery bags, sandwich bags, sqeezable wrappers
Characteristics: Very thin, very lightweight. can be crumpled

Readily Recycled: No, very few recycling programs accept it as a recyclable. Probably due to its weak and lightweight characteristic

Recycled Into: Same items as it is found in
Health Risk: Low

Number 5 Plastics

Chemical Compound: Polypropylene

Found In: Condiment bottles, medicine bottles, yogurt tubs, rope, straws

Characteristics: mostly squeezable, heat intolerant

Readily Recycled: No but are slowly gaining acceptance in recycling programs

Recycled Into: Fibers, brooms, brushes, trays

Health Risk: Low

Number 6 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polystyrene

Found In: Disposable plastic spoons, forks and cups, CD cases, egg cartons, foam food trays
Characteristics: Very lightweight, bulky. Also known as Styrofoam

Readily Recycled: No. Very difficult to decompose. Very few programs accept it

Recycled Into: Egg cartons, foam packin
Health Risk: Moderate to high. When ingested, can block the digestive system. Production is petroleum based and uses a carcinogenic called benzene

Number 7 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Combination of any or all of the above plastics/resins or other resins that don't fit into the above items.

Found In: bullet-proof materials, 5-gallon water bottles,

Characteristics: Very thick, heavy duty

Readily Recycled: No. Very difficult to recycle because of the diversity of plastics in it

Recycled Into:  plastic lumber,

Health Risk: Low to moderate. Depends on the type of plastic

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the recycle symbol and any of its variants. A watermark is placed in the images to protect my intellectual property right of making the image based on the symbol and it's variants. The watermark is not intended to own the symbol or imply any meeting related to owning the recycle symbol.

Sources:

1. http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/187/1/Recycling-by-the-numbers.html
2. http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321