Plastics #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7 are generally tougher to recycle and are not universally collected in local recycling programs. Plastics that have #1 (PETE) or #2 (HDPE) are the most commonly recycled plastics.
RECYCLE SYMBOL CODE
The number is a resin identification code that tells you what kind of plastic that material is made of. The recycling symbol found on plastic products does not indicate that a product is necessarily recyclable nor recycled. The plastics on this list will be replaced and no longer used in new packaging.Have you noticed the number imprinted inside the recycling symbol on most plastic materials? Many people assume that symbol means it is recyclable, when in fact these numbers simply indicate what type of plastic the material is made from. The company has drawn up The Negative List. The Swiss food company Nestlé recognized in 2019 that certain types of plastic, including expanded polystyrene, simply cannot be recycled. This insulating plastic is mainly used in fast food.
In the United States, a number of states have moved to the prohibition of polystyrene (commonly known as styrofoam). PVC (code 3), polystyrene (code 6), polyurethane and polycarbonate (both falling under code 7) are mentioned as the most problematic. These should be replaced immediately with safer and reusable alternatives. In 2013, scientists of the journal ‘Nature’ called on the world to classify the most problematic plastics as dangerous and undesirable in their article Classify plastic waste as hazardous.The article focuses on plastics with potentially toxic chemicals and plastics that cannot be reused or recycled. Unfortunately, plastics that are difficult to recycle are hardly ever banned. For example, the site Green Jump presents an overview of the following classification:Ĭode 7 is a miscellaneous category that nobody can do anything with.
Though it serves no real purpose in terms of waste separation, the recycling code can be used by consumers to make a distinction between plastics that would be safer to use than other plastics. Code 7 is a residual category that nobody can use.Often, the code stamps are very small, difficult to find, and difficult to read (especially when the plastic is transparent). The regulations for displaying the plastic recycling symbols are inadequate.Out of all the plastic produced worldwide since the 1950s, only 9% has been recycled. Not all types of plastic can be recycled equally well and only a very low percentage of plastic is recycled at all.The same type of plastic can be used for plastic bags or bottles, for example, and there are different grades for each type. While the figure gives an indication of the type of plastic, it says nothing about hardness, shape or consistency.This has not been the case (for a long time now) in practice. The figure suggests that plastic is recycled per product group.The plastic recycling number system actually serves no purpose: the consumer cannot do much with it and the waste separators do not use it.There are six common types of plastic and one miscellaneous category with the number 7. The number in the triangle indicates the type of plastic. Almost all plastic products bear the general recycling symbol: a triangle formed by three circling arrows.
The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) introduced a code system in 1988 that helps with recycling plastic by numbers.
0 kommentar(er)
