Recyclers Corner page 2

Summary

This page lists the recycling codes and which ones are recyclable in the borough. It also includes information about how plastic is recycled.

 

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The different types of plastics and what do they all mean? 

There are several different types of plastics in the market today. To make sorting and thus recycling easier, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking code to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastic. These are:-

 

 

1. PET 1 (Polyethylene Terephthalate) - fizzy drink bottles
2. HDPE 2 (High-Density Polyethylene) - bottles for milk and washing-up liquids.
3. PVC 3 (Polyvinyl Chloride) - bottles for squash, mineral water and shampoo
4. LDPE 4 (Low Density Polyethylene) - carrier bags and bin liners.
5. PP 5 (Polypropylene) - margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays.
6. PS 6 (Polystyrene) - yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys
7. Other - Any other plastics that do not fall into any of the above categories. An example is melamine, which is often used in plastic plates and cups.

If you look on the plastic products you buy, you should spot the recycling symbol and a number. The plastics that are currently recyclable in the borough are plastic bottles with the following numbers: 1, 2 and 3.

 

How is plastic recycled?

There are a number of processes involved in recycling plastics. The most common method is called mechanical recycling which involves the melting, shredding or granulation of waste plastics.

 

Plastics must be sorted prior to mechanical recycling. At the moment most sorting for mechanical recycling is done by trained staff who manually sort the plastics into polymer type and/or colour. In the borough your green bags are collected and transported to a material recovery facility

where the bags are sorted. 

 

Following sorting the plastics are transported to a reprocessing plant where it is either melted down directly and moulded into a new shape or melted down after being shredded into flakes and then processed into granules called regranulate.