Most products in the U.S. on its surface have a sign on it which is the recycling code. Each code identifies the materials used to create the products and they can help in identifying them for the workers at the recycling plant. This helps to separate different types of plastic, as well as glass, metal and paper, all of which have to be recycled in different ways. Here is more information about the codes and you can read them all down below.
The codes all look similar, they are a triangle created from three arrows and a number is placed inside this triangle. The number is what identifies the actual materials that were used to form the item. The numbers 1-7 all refer to resin identification codes for plastics. For example, a triangle with a 1 or 01 stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a thermoplastic that is used to create products such as soft drink bottles and water bottles. In addition to these seven numbers used to identify plastics, the number 9 and sometimes the letters ABS are used to identify a type of plastic used to make cell phones and computers called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
Recycling centers also recycle all kinds of paper. There are also numbers used to identify the several types of paper products which are the numbers 20, 21, 22 and 23. The number 20 is used for the cardboard and paper like magazines and mailed items will use the number 21. Regular paper like the printer paper uses the number 22. Paperboard that is the thick paper for making poster boards, greeting cards and book covers uses number 23.
The number 40 or 41 are used for metals. Steel uses the number 40 while for aluminum the number 41 is used. Sometimes though the number 41 is not used for aluminum but instead there are letters used - ALU. Aluminum can be used again and again to create products because it is the most recyclable metal on the planet. Almost all "tin" cans are made by using aluminum due to its abundance and malleability.
Organic materials such as wood, cork and cotton also have their own number designations. For example, wood has been given a code of 50. Cork is listed as number 51 and it's not just used to preserve wine. Cork is also used for flooring, in musical instruments and sometimes even in printers. Cotton is designated as number 60 and you might be surprised to know that some cotton actually can be recycled.
There is another material though that is separated by different categories and that is the glass which many recycling facilities identify them with ten different versions. Separated by color, glass is generally differentiated with categories like clear glass, green glass, dark glass and so on. There is also a section for composites which could include an item that is a combination of paper and plastic. In many places, only aluminum and plastics with a 1 or a 2 printed on them can be recycled, although potentially all thermoplastic packaging can be recycled, it's just a question of having a facility to recycle these materials.
The codes all look similar, they are a triangle created from three arrows and a number is placed inside this triangle. The number is what identifies the actual materials that were used to form the item. The numbers 1-7 all refer to resin identification codes for plastics. For example, a triangle with a 1 or 01 stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a thermoplastic that is used to create products such as soft drink bottles and water bottles. In addition to these seven numbers used to identify plastics, the number 9 and sometimes the letters ABS are used to identify a type of plastic used to make cell phones and computers called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
Recycling centers also recycle all kinds of paper. There are also numbers used to identify the several types of paper products which are the numbers 20, 21, 22 and 23. The number 20 is used for the cardboard and paper like magazines and mailed items will use the number 21. Regular paper like the printer paper uses the number 22. Paperboard that is the thick paper for making poster boards, greeting cards and book covers uses number 23.
The number 40 or 41 are used for metals. Steel uses the number 40 while for aluminum the number 41 is used. Sometimes though the number 41 is not used for aluminum but instead there are letters used - ALU. Aluminum can be used again and again to create products because it is the most recyclable metal on the planet. Almost all "tin" cans are made by using aluminum due to its abundance and malleability.
Organic materials such as wood, cork and cotton also have their own number designations. For example, wood has been given a code of 50. Cork is listed as number 51 and it's not just used to preserve wine. Cork is also used for flooring, in musical instruments and sometimes even in printers. Cotton is designated as number 60 and you might be surprised to know that some cotton actually can be recycled.
There is another material though that is separated by different categories and that is the glass which many recycling facilities identify them with ten different versions. Separated by color, glass is generally differentiated with categories like clear glass, green glass, dark glass and so on. There is also a section for composites which could include an item that is a combination of paper and plastic. In many places, only aluminum and plastics with a 1 or a 2 printed on them can be recycled, although potentially all thermoplastic packaging can be recycled, it's just a question of having a facility to recycle these materials.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys blogging about how stuff is made. For further information about custom packaging solutions or to discover more about retail product packaging options, please check out the Indepak.com site today.
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