There’s a good chance you’ve held something made of this plastic type today. PET or PETE is what’s used to make bottles for soda, water and other drinks. It’s also used to make cooking oil containers, plastic peanut butter jars and containers for other popular food items.

HDPE plastics are also extremely common. They’re those used to make milk jugs, shampoo bottles, cleaning product containers and detergent bottles.

PVC is a soft, flexible plastic, so it’s used for a huge array of household products. Plastic tubing, kids’ toys, plastic trays and furniture are often made out of PVC.

A lot of plastic wrappings are made of LDPE plastic. It’s also used to make grocery bags and the bags that hold newspapers, sliced bread loaves and fresh produce, among other things.

PP is used to make the food containers used for products like yogurt, sour cream and margarine. It’s also made into straws, rope, carpet and bottle caps.

Styrofoam products are made out of PS plastic, so it’s commonly used to make disposable coffee cups, packing peanuts, coolers and to-go food containers.

Any type of plastic that doesn’t fit into one of the first six categories falls under this heading. Products stamped with a 7 are often made out of multiple plastic types or out of other types of plastic that can’t easily be recycled.

The “chasing arrows” symbol we see on plastic containers and products does not necessarily mean the product is recyclable. The little number inside the triangle is there to help us identify the type of plastic used for the product. By understanding the number classifications, we can then determine the appropriate disposal route for our plastic products.

Symbol 1: PETG or PETE

Symbol 1 with the acronym PETE PETG plastic. Also known as PETE, this symbol represents polyethylene terephthalate, which is commonly used for soft drink bottles, mineral water containers, and fruit juice containers, and cooking oil containers. The plastic is easily recyclable so it’s often part of curbside recycling programs. It can be reused to make containers, carpet, and furniture.

Symbol 2: HDPE

Symbol 2 with the acronym HDPE indicates one of the most commonly used plastics in the United States, HDPE (which stands for high-density polyethylene). HDPE plastic is used for a number of different purposes but is widely considered the plastic of choice for containers for items like cleaning agents, milk, detergents, and washing soap thanks to its low weight and high strength.

HDPE sheets can also be easily recycled into pipes, oil bottles, pens, and detergent bottles. It is commonly accepted by curbside recycling.

Symbol 3: PVC or Vinyl

Plastic material that exhibit symbol 3 with the letter “V” represent PVC plastic or polyvinyl chloride. You may come across this plastic in bubble foils, and trays for sweets and fruit. Additionally, expanded PVC foam board is used for a wide variety of commercial applications. Thanks to its lightweight and rigid properties, PVC plastic can be easily stamped, sawed, punched, nailed, riveted, or bonded using PVC adhesive.

PVC is rarely recycled and not usually part of a curbside recycling program. In rare instances, it can be recycled for speed bumps, roadway gutters, and cables.

Symbol 4: LDPE

Symbol 4 with the acronym LDPE indicates that the plastic is made from LDPE plastic, which stands for low-density polyethylene. This plastic comes in the form of shopping bags, highly-resistant sacks, and crushed bottles.

This type of plastic is not usually recycled, but it can be converted into floor tiles and shipping envelopes.

Symbol 5: PP

PP, or polypropylene plastic, , is appropriately marked by the number five symbol including the acronym PP. Thanks to its durability, strength, and low weight, this plastic is utilized in furniture, luggage, toys, and the lining and external borders of cars. This is one of the safer types of plastic making it ideal for ketchup bottles and medicine bottles. It is also increasingly being accepted in curbside recycling programs.

Symbol 6: Styrene, or PS

Styrene plastic, also known as polystyrene, is marked with symbol 6 that includes the acronym PS. This plastic is commonly used in toys, hard packing, refrigerator trays, cosmetic bags, costume jewelry, CD cases, and vending cups. Although not accepted in many curbside recycling programs, it can be recycled to make egg cartons, take-out containers, and rulers.

Symbol 7: Other

Symbol 7 including the word “OTHER” stands for “other plastics,” which include, but are not limited to, acrylic plastic, polycarbonate plastic, polylactic fibers, nylon, and fiberglass. Not every plastic can be recycled. However, both acrylic and polycarbonate can be recycled and can be repurposed for future projects. Since they are both thermoplastics, they can be reheated without a loss in quality. For symbol 7 plastics, be sure to confirm with your local recycling program.

There are many use cases for acrylic-–you may be able to find it in use for food storage—many food containers are made of acrylic for their strength and transparency. However, acrylic is also used in signs, shelving, and showcases for its durability.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re working with acrylic plastic or polypropylene, being mindful of the small numbers within the “chasing arrows” symbol can help you better understand what type of plastic you are using and if it is recyclable at the receptacle. In the end, separating plastics accordingly helps waste management professionals ensure that the right materials end up in the right place.

Technical name - High-Density Polyethylene – it’s an incredible resistant resin used for grocery bags, milk jugs, recycling bins, agricultural pipe, but also playground equipment, lids, and shampoo bottles among others.  Because it’s made with long unbranched polymer chains it’s much stronger and thicker than PET. Also, it is relatively hard and resistant to impact and can be subjected to temperatures of up to 120 °C  without being affected. As far as its disposal is concerned, HDPE is accepted at most recycling centers in the world, as it is one of the easiest plastic polymers to recycle. 

3 : PVC

Polyvinyl chloride is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer. It comes in two basic forms: rigid and flexible. In its rigid form, PVC is largely used in the building and construction industry to produce door and window profiles and pipes (drinking and wastewater). When mixed with other substances, It can be made softer and more flexible and applied to plumbing, wiring, and electrical cable insulation and flooring. 

Thanks to its versatile properties, such as lightness, durability, and easiness of processability, PVC is now replacing traditional building materials like wood, metal, concrete, rubber, ceramics, etc. in various applications.

PVC is still hardly recyclable and should therefore be avoided, whenever possible. 

4 : LDPE

Contrary to HDPE, LDPE is characterized by low-density molecules, giving this resin a thinner and more flexible design. It has the simplest structure of all the plastics, making it easy and cheap to produce. Used in plastic bags, six-pack rings, various containers, dispensing bottles, and most famously for plastic wraps, is not often recycled through curbside programs.

5: PP

Polypropylene is the second-most widely produced commodity plastic and its market is forecasted to grow even more in the following years. Hard and sturdy, it can withstand high temperatures and is found in tupperwares, car parts, thermal vests, yogurt containers, and even disposable diapers.

6: PS

Polystyrene is the sixth type of plastic on the list and it can be solid or foamed. It is a very inexpensive resin per unit weight and easy to create, for these reasons it can be found everywhere: from beverage cups, insulation, packing materials to egg cartons and disposable dinnerware. Perhaps better known by its commercial name – Styrofoam – it’s highly inflammable and dangerous as it can leach harmful chemicals, especially when heated.
Environmentally-speaking it’s among the worst types of plastic.

If plastic cannot be identified in the six types above-mentioned, then it will be included in group number 7. The best-known plastics of this group are polycarbonates (PC) used to build strong, tough products. Polycarbonates are commonly used for eye protection in the creation of lenses for sunglasses, sport and safety goggles. But they can also be found on mobile phones and, more frequently, in compact-discs (CD).

In recent years, the use of these resins has been controversial: the basis of this controversy is their leaching that, occurring at high temperature, releases bisphenol A, a compound that is on the list of potential environmental hazardous chemicals. Moreover, the decomposition of BPA in landfills does not occur meaning that this chemical will be persistent in the ground and will eventually find its way into water bodies contributing to aquatic pollution. On top of this, plastics number 7 is almost never recycled.