When you are living in the United States, somewhere on the surface of most products there will be a recycling code. There are different kinds of packaging that feature these codes such as plastic packaging, cardboard packaging, glass and metal. With the materials used, each code will identify how the products were created and they give assistance to those who work at recycling facilities. If you what to know more information about the codes and their meaning you can read paragraphs 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.
Another item which shows up in big stacks at recycling facilities is paper. Among the numbers which are used to identify different types of paper products are 20, 21, 22 and 23. For the cardboard it is identified as by 20 and paper like magazines and mailed items are registered as 21. Number 22 signifies the regular paper like the notebook and printer paper. Number 23 is used for the paperboard which is thick paper that is used for making book covers, greeting cards and poster board.
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.
Another item which shows up in big stacks at recycling facilities is paper. Among the numbers which are used to identify different types of paper products are 20, 21, 22 and 23. For the cardboard it is identified as by 20 and paper like magazines and mailed items are registered as 21. Number 22 signifies the regular paper like the notebook and printer paper. Number 23 is used for the paperboard which is thick paper that is used for making book covers, greeting cards and poster board.
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 loves writing about how stuff is made. For more details about custom packaging solutions or to find out more about retail product packaging options, please visit the Indepak.com website now.
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