Types of plastic and which ones to avoid!

I'm sure you may have noticed the various signs and numbers on every plastic that show the plastic chemicals they were made of. Most people don't know what these numbers mean and are confused on which ones they should use or not.

Below we are explaining these signs for you

Type of plastic: PET or PETE - Polyethylene, Terephthalate

Characteristics: Clear, tough, strong, solvent resistant, barrier to gas and moisture.

Common uses: Soft drink and water bottles, jam jars, biscuit trays, salad dressing and containers.

Type of plastic: HDPE or PE-HD - High Density Polyethylene

Characteristics: Hard to semi-flexible, resistant to chemicals and moisture, waxy surface, easily coloured, processed and formed.

Common uses: Milk bottles, Ice-cream containers, juice bottles, shopping bags, freezer bags, shampoo and chemicals bottles, buckets, crates.

Type of plastic: PVC

- PVC-U - Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride

- PVC-P - Plasticized Polyvinyl Chloride

Characteristics:

- PVC-U - strong, tough, can be clear, can be solvent welded

- PVC-P - flexible, clear, elastic, can be solvent welded

Common uses:

- PVC-U - Cosmetic containers, electrical conduit, plumbing pipes and fittings, wall cladding, bottles

- PVC-P - Garden hose, show soles, blood bags and tubing, cable sheathing

Type of plastic: LDPE or PE-LD - Low Density Polyethylene

Characteristics: Soft, flexible, waxy surface, translucent, scratches easily

Common uses: Cling wrap, garbage bags, squeeze bottles, irrigation tubing, mulch film, refuse bags

Type of plastic: PP - Polypropylene

Characteristics: Hard but flexible, waxy surface, translucent, withstands solvents, versatile

Common uses: Bottles and ice-cream tubs, potato chip bags, straws, microwave dishes, kettles, garden furniture, lunch boxes, packaging tape

Type of plastic:

- PS - Polystyrene

- PS-E - Expanded Polystyrene

Characteristics: Clear, glassy, rigid, semi-tough, opaque, affected by fat, acids and solvents, resistant to alkali, salt solutions, odor and taste free, versatile

Common uses: Egg cartons, disposable cups, trays and cutlery, CD Cases, Take Away containers, foamed meat trays

Type of plastic: OTHER - Letter below indicates ISO code for plastic type, often poly-carbonate and ABS

Characteristics: Dependent on plastic or combination of plastics. Includes all resins and multi-materials (i.e. laminates)

Common uses: Computers, electronics, cooler bottles, baby milk bottles

#Plastic