What does the recycling codes on plastics mean

Have you noticed the codes in the triangles on the bottom of your plastic products? You find them on bottles, containers and other plastic packaging products, you will find a triangle with a number inside.

These numbers indicate what grade the plastic it is, and how you should recycle it. These codes are so important when it comes to recycling products but aren’t widely known throughout our communities.

Did you know 7/10 Australians say that they look for recycling information on packaging, but they are often confused by the information, so we have put together a few descriptions below of the different grades of plastics that are coded under this program.

1 – PETE – Polyethylene Terephthalate

These are often the easiest plastics to recycle. Think products like soft drink bottles and the more common food packaging. These materials can be placed into your recycling bin and are recycled into plastic bottles and polyester fibres.

2 – HDPE – High Density Polyethylene

This type of material is normally found in packaging for things like detergents, bleach, shampoo, conditioner and milk containers. These materials can be placed into your recycling bin for pick up by your local council and are recycled into more bottles and bags for future use.

3 – V – Polyvinyl Chloride

Most people know what PVC looks like, but PVC includes things like pipes, toys, packing etc and can be difficult to recycle and also a major health threat. PVC has been described as one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created. PVC should never be sent to landfill and should always be mechanically recycled so that it can be reused. If you have PVC that you need to recycle, contact your local council to find out the best way to dispose of it.

4 – LDPE – Low Density Polyethylene

LDPE can be found in squeezable condiment bottles and toys, but it’s mostly used in plastic films. That means shrink wrap, as well as bags — dry cleaning, grocery, bread bags and tags, frozen food, and produce bags all qualify. The soft plastics are the materials you can recycle at your local supermarket using the REDcycle bins. Rigid and other forms of LDPE however cannot be recycled via REDcycle. 

We collect the bread tags instore.

5 – PP or Polypropylene

This is a hard but still flexible plastic. It’s used for ice cream containers and lids and plastic take away containers. Check to see if your council accepts these food containers. 

6 – PS or Polystyrene

This is used to make cups, foam food trays and packing materials. It’s also known as Styrofoam and is a real problem as it’s bulky yet very light and this makes it difficult to recycle.

7 – Other

This shows the item could be a mixture of any and all of the above or a plastic that is not readily recyclable, such as polyurethane.

Di you know not all plastics are recyclable through your yellow-lidded bin.

Don’t follow the number, use this information below.

These are the plastics that can be recycled:

  • Cleaning product bottles
  • Detergent bottles
  • Ice-cream containers/lids
  • Juice bottles
  • Milk bottles
  • Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel bottles
  • Soft drink bottles

Remember before you put them in the recycling bin to wash them as contaminated items can not be recycled, it will go to landfill.

Plastic punnets were accepted at one point, if they had the number 1 in the recycling symbol, but most councils are not accepting them anymore as they say it is to difficult to separate. They need to be able to tell what material an item is made from, quickly, when sorting, and some punnets are made from other types of plastic.

If you are unsure if something is recyclable or not, unfortunately it is best to put it in the landfill bin. To change this we need to contact big manufactures and encourage them to find a better plastic free alternative.

Remember to check with your council with what they will accept as some will not accept certain plastics. If this is the case please encourage them to look to accepting all recyclables.

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