The narrative that plastic is bad is merely a case of understanding plastic. Let's dive in!
Different plastics are assigned to different numbers to grade them for recycling:
1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) – containers/bottles
2 High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) – containers/bottles
3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – containers/bottles
4 Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) – bags/ flexible containers and bottles
5 Polypropylene (PP) – closures/caps
6 Polystyrene (PS) – cups/food trays
7 (Other) – mixed plastics (not recyclable)
PET Plastic Bottles
Most plastic bottles are made from PET which is a valuable recyclable material.
Mainly water bottles; juice bottles and many more.
Polyolefins
Numbers 2, 4 and 5 are known as polyolefins. These include:
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is used for bottles, containers; drums and many more.
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as well as linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) is quite flexible but strong material used for bottles; containers and many more.
Polypropylene (PP)Â makes bottle caps and closures.
Polystyrene
It makes cups, trays and many more.
Recycling And
Material Recycling
