Sorted household plastic waiting to be hauled away for reprocessing.

Polypropylene lid of a Tic Tacs box, with a living hinge and the resin identification code under its flap

The symbols in the table below belong to the SPI resin identification coding system, developed by the NA Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988. Download high resolution version (1600x1134, 686 KB)Sorted househould plastic waiting to be hauled away for reprocessing. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1134, 686 KB)Sorted househould plastic waiting to be hauled away for reprocessing. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (736x1020, 28 KB) Empty Tic Tacs box. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (736x1020, 28 KB) Empty Tic Tacs box. ... Polypropylene lid of a Tic Tacs box, with a living hinge and the resin identification code under its flap Polypropylene or polypropene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer, used in a wide variety of applications, including food packaging, textiles, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes. ... A couple of boxes of Australian Peppermint-flavored Tic Tacs Polypropylene lid of a Tic Tacs box, with a living hinge and the resin identification code under its flap Two US Cinnamon flavored Tic Tacs on a Tic Tac box This article describes a brand of mints. ... A living hinge on the lid of a Tic Tacs box A living hinge is a hinge with no moving parts. ... The Society of the Plastics Industry developed symbols for plastics so that they could be recycled easier. ...

Most plastics can be recycled, but they have to be separated into their different polymer types. Because of the difficulty and expense of sorting, collecting, cleaning and reprocessing, at the moment it is only economically viable to recycle PETE, HDPE and PVC. Thermoplastics can be remelted, but thermosetting plastics can only be crushed and used as insulation. The term plastics covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic condensation or polymerization products that can be molded or extruded into objects or films or fibers. ... The international recycling symbol. ... Polymer is the term used to describe large molecules consisting of repeating structural units, or monomers, connected by covalent chemical bonds. ... Pete may refer to: In athletics: The Petersen Events Center, an athletics complex and basketball arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh Pete Rose, an American former player and manager in Major League Baseball. ... Polyethylene or polyethene is one of the simplest and most inexpensive polymers. ... Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely used thermoplastic polymer. ... A thermoplastic is a plastic that softens when heated and hardens again when cooled. ... Thermosetting plastics (thermosets) refer to a range of polymer materials that cure, through the addition of energy, to a stronger form. ...

The symbols used in the code consist of arrows that cycle clockwise to form a rounded triangle and enclosing a number, often with an acronym representing the plastic below the triangle.

When the number is omitted, the symbol is known as the universal Recycling Symbol, indicating generic recyclable materials. In this case, other text and labels are used to indicate the material(s) used. The Universal Recycling Symbol, here rendered with a black outline and green fill. ...

Use of the recycling symbol in the coding of plastics has led to ongoing consumer confusion about which plastics are readily recyclable. In most communities throughout the United States, PETE and HDPE are the only plastics collected in municipal recycling programs. Some regions, though, are expanding the range of plastics collected as markets become available.

The Unicode character encoding standard includes the resin identification codes, between code points U+2673 and U+2679 inclusive. The generic material recycling symbol is encoded as code point U+267A. Unicode is an industry standard designed to allow text and symbols from all of the writing systems of the world to be consistently represented and manipulated by computers. ...

Recycling No.	Abbreviation	Polymer Name	Uses
	PETE or PET	Polyethylene Terephthalate	Recycled to produce polyester fibres, thermoformed sheet, strapping, soft drink bottles. (See also: Recycling of PET Bottles) Image File history File links Plastic resin recycle code 01. ... Polyethylene terephthalate (aka PET, PETE, PETP,PET-P) is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family that is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber. ... Polyethylene terephthalate (aka PET, PETE, PETP,PET-P) is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family that is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber. ... Recycling of PET Bottles is the activity whereby bottles made out of PET are collected, sorted and processed in order to reuse the material out of which they are made. ...
	HDPE	High-Density Polyethylene	Recycled to become various bottles, grocery bags, recycling bins, agricultural pipe, base cups, car stops, playground equipment, and plastic lumber.
	PVC or V	Polyvinyl Chloride	Recycled to become pipe, fencing, and non-food bottles.
	LDPE	Low-Density Polyethylene	Recycled to become plastic bags, various containers, dispensing bottles, wash bottles, tubing, and various molded laboratory equipment.
	PP	Polypropylene	Recycled into auto parts and industrial fibers.
	PS	Polystyrene	Recycled into a wide range of products including office accessories, cafeteria trays, toys, video cassettes and cases, insulation board and expanded polystyrene products (e.g. Styrofoam).
	OTHER	Other plastics, including acrylic, polycarbonate, polylactic acid , nylon and fiberglass.

Image File history File links Plastic resin recycle code 02. ... Polyethylene or polyethene is one of the simplest and most inexpensive polymers. ... Image File history File links Plastic resin recycle code 03. ... Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely used thermoplastic polymer. ... Image File history File links Plastic resin recycle code 04. ... Polyethylene or polyethene is one of the simplest and most inexpensive polymers. ... Image File history File links Plastic resin recycle code 05. ... Polypropylene lid of a Tic Tacs box, with a living hinge and the resin identification code under its flap Polypropylene or polypropene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer, used in a wide variety of applications, including food packaging, textiles, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes. ... Image File history File links Plastic resin recycle code 06. ... Polystyrene is a polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum. ... Polystyrene is a polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum. ... Styrofoam is a trademark name for extruded polystyrene thermal insulation material, manufactured by Dow Chemical Company. ... Image File history File links Plastic resin recycle code 07. ... Structure of methyl methacrylate, the monomer that makes up PMMA Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or poly(methyl 2-methylpropenoate) is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. ... Polycarbonates are a particular group of thermoplastic polyesters. ... The skeletal formula of polylactic acid Polylactic acid or Polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources. ... Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers first produced on February 28, 1935 by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers research group at DuPont. ... Bundle of fiberglass Fiberglass or glassfibre is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ...

External links

• Recycling Symbols for Plastics has symbols used in plastics recycling available in various formats.