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.
Paper is another item that shows up in large amounts at recycling facilities. The numbers 20, 21, 22 and 23 are used to identify different types of paper products. A 20 identifies the item as cardboard, and 21 as paper such as magazines and mailed items. Regular paper, such as notebook and printer paper, is part of the category that is identified by number 22. Paperboard, which is thick paper used to make book covers, greeting cards and poster board is known by the number 23.
Metals are known either as number 40 or 41. 40 indicates that the item was made out of steel, while number 41 means that the product was made from aluminum. Sometimes aluminum is not identified by a 41, but by the numbers ALU. Aluminum is highly recyclable and can be used again and again to create products. Because of its abundance and malleability, almost all "tin" cans actually are produced using aluminum.
Wood, cork and cotton which are organic materials also have their own numbers for identification. The number 50 is used for wood as an example. The number 51 is used for cork and it is also not just used to cover bottles to preserve wine. You can also use cork for flooring, also for musical instruments and it can even be in printers. The number 60 is used for cotton and you would be surprised to learn that this material can be recycled too.
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.
Paper is another item that shows up in large amounts at recycling facilities. The numbers 20, 21, 22 and 23 are used to identify different types of paper products. A 20 identifies the item as cardboard, and 21 as paper such as magazines and mailed items. Regular paper, such as notebook and printer paper, is part of the category that is identified by number 22. Paperboard, which is thick paper used to make book covers, greeting cards and poster board is known by the number 23.
Metals are known either as number 40 or 41. 40 indicates that the item was made out of steel, while number 41 means that the product was made from aluminum. Sometimes aluminum is not identified by a 41, but by the numbers ALU. Aluminum is highly recyclable and can be used again and again to create products. Because of its abundance and malleability, almost all "tin" cans actually are produced using aluminum.
Wood, cork and cotton which are organic materials also have their own numbers for identification. The number 50 is used for wood as an example. The number 51 is used for cork and it is also not just used to cover bottles to preserve wine. You can also use cork for flooring, also for musical instruments and it can even be in printers. The number 60 is used for cotton and you would be surprised to learn that this material can be recycled too.
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 loves blogging about how stuff is made. For further details about custom plastic packaging solutions or to find out more about food packaging design, please check out the Indepak.com site now.
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