Grab any plastic product in your home, and there's a good chance you'll see a familiar sign of 3 looping arrows, the universal sign for recycling. The numbers inside the arrows stand for resin recognition codes, a category created by the industry to denote the different types of plastics. It's an icon commonly associated with environmentalism, a reminder that we can constantly reduce, reuse, as well as recycle. As we face a worldwide plastic crisis, it's reassuring to think that your plastic water bottle will become something new and useful once you're recycled it.

But unlike common belief, that icon does not truly mean that the product will certainly be recycled. Just because a plastic thing can be recycled doesn't mean it's always technically possible for the average person to do so. Only 9 percent of the world's plastic is recycled in all, and it's not due to the fact that customers are lazy but because the whole plastic recycling system is broken.

Recycling is an exceptionally costly as well as resource-intensive process, profitable only when there's high demand for the end products and lots of plastic to process at huge centers. And even if you go out of your way to clean and also sort your plastic waste, your local recycling center could be sending it to landfills.

Continue reading to learn more about the various types of plastic, what to do with them, and also the big issues with the recycling system.

PET or PETE, #1

The MVP of the recycling system, polyethylene terephthalate is noted with a 1 inside the looping arrows. PET is used to make soda and water bottles, various other bottles as well as containers for whatever from mouth wash to peanut butter. It's an excellent product for recycling-- conveniently cleaned up, lightweight can become transparent plastic-- as well as the most-recycled plastic worldwide.

But careful! Just because PET is ultra-recyclable does not mean it's sustainable. Only 30 percent of plastic bottles are recycled and the majority of those bottles aren't made into other bottles but are "downcycled" right into lower-quality products-- most of which can't be recycled again. And also since the reusing process degrades the quality of the plastic, even if these bottles are made into brand-new ones, there are only so many times you can recycle.

GREENMAX Dewatering Machine - Designed for Recycling PET Bottles

GREENMAX Poseidon Series dewatering machine is a beverage packaging recycling equipment aiming to PET bottles, aluminum cans and beverage boxes. Equipped with the screw compression technology, the GREENMAX beverage dewatering machine enables continuous output at a ratio of 10:1, and the water draining function can squeeze out the liquid to the water collection tray.

The Poseidon beverage dewatering machine can be used in the beverage (soft drink) industry, converting the waste beverage containers into new energy resources as well as avoiding polluting the environment. With the help of the beverage dewatering machine, the waste beverage bottles, or food packaging can be compacted into tight blocks or tight material conveniently to reuse after processing.

HDPE, #2

Chances are you use a lot of things made out of HDPE around your house, from firm containers and also containers for detergent and milk, to shampoo bottles as well as plastic cutting boards. HDPE, noted with the number 2, can also be utilized to make flimsier plastic products, like some of the plastic bags you'd get at a convenience store or the bags inside cereal boxes.

The Australian government will make certain that 6000 tons of post-consumer HDPE waste are recycled in Australia as well as given to packaging Manufacturers and Brand owners to further contribute to the circular economy.

PS, #6

Polystyrene, aka plastic # 6, is super lightweight and breaks really easily, which makes it perfect to use for things like egg containers, packaging materials, and lightweight cups as well as takeaway containers. However, those 2 top qualities also make a lot of things made of polystyrene recycling exceptionally hard.

Styrofoam, the brand name for expanded polystyrene, is particularly problematic because it has a tendency to break apart into tiny pieces. As trash, those tiny items can also pollute ecosystems and also placed wild animals in danger. It's estimated that Styrofoam occupies from 25 percent to 30 percent of landfill space around the world.

Fundamentally, Styrofoam includes everything wrong with plastic: It's everywhere, almost entirely worthless after the very first usage, and it injures wildlife. Since polystyrene has actually been integrated into our everyday life, we urgently need to recycle it.

GREENMAX Polystyrene Melting Machine

GREENMAX polystyrene melting machine can help you process polystyrene efficiently and reduce the volume of polystyrene quickly. When the polystyrene melting machine starts, throw the waste polystyrene foam into the machine hopper where it is crushed into small pieces, then drop into the screw part where the crushed foam pieces will be pushed out and then melted by heating parts. Finally, the polystyrene waste will become the hot melted ingots with the density of 90:1, greatly saving transportation and storage costs. This heat-induced densification process is tested and certified by specialist agencies to be efficient, intelligent and safe.

PP, #5

Like a lot of other types of plastic on this listing, polypropylene (marked by the number 5) can be recycled-- but it depends a lot on what its final form is. PP is highly recyclable however it is generally unable to be reused via curbside recycling. An approximated 13,500 tons of PP plant packaging waste are going to Aussie landfills annually.

There are some essential issues pestering recycled polypropylene materials, the truth is that the recycled variation typically appears an unattractive grey or black color, making it inappropriate for consumer items. Recent innovations have shown some promise in solving these problems, which could mean more uses for recycled material.

GREENMAX Heracles Series Hydraulic Densifier

Equipped with high-efficient automatic hydraulic system, the waste EPP can be crushed in the storage bin of the GREENMAX Heracles Series EPP Densifier and then compacted into dense and uniform blocks with a volume reduction ratio of 50:1, greatly reducing the volume of waste EPP, therefore saving storage and transportation costs. In particular, Heracles Series Hydraulic Densifier has the benefits both the energy saving of our Apollo Series Cold Screw Compactor and the high density of our Mars Series Melting Machine.

LDPE, #4

China used to receive the most of these types of plastics (just 9 percent of which actually were recycled, while the remainder were shed, buried in landfills, or just dumped into the environment), and the 2018 ban has actually left a lot of council recycling facilities overwhelmed with the product. Not just is it extremely pricey to recycle a lot of these things but it's also extremely tough for the average person to figure out how to effectively take care of these items-- and also, consequently, things are usually simply discarded.

Anyway, low-density polyethylene, or LDPE (noted by a 4 inside the arrows), is identified by its lightweight and also flexible properties. Plastic cling film is usually made from LDPE, with a host of other items and materials, like the trash cans and bread bags; a firmer variation of LDPE can be utilized to make laundry baskets and plastic lids.

When identifying how to recycle LDPE, it once more relies on where you live. Although it's not the easiest answer, the ideal point to do is to request instructions initially from your neighborhood council. If they approve LDPE for recycling, then you can place them in the curbside recycling bin. Follow the instructions laid out by your regional waste authority.

PVC, #3

PVC and vinyl are rather familiar terms in customer parlance and also can be utilized for pipes, vinyl flooring (duh) as well as other outdoor functions, in addition to bottles for automotive products. This sort of plastic can last for a while: PVC pipes can keep working for a number of decades.

Part of the problem in attempting to recycle this sort of stuff is the additives: the product commonly has high chlorine content in addition to other chemicals mixed in. These chemicals can ruin entire batches of recycled plastics if they get into the mix, so it's best to maintain them away from your recycle bins. PVC should never be sent to landfills and needs to always be mechanically recycled so that it can be reused. If you have PVC that you need to recycle, call your local council to discover the best way to deal with it.

Other, #7

If your product is marked by a number 7, that implies it falls into the category of plastics that don't fit into any of the other labels. There's a wide variety of stuff that can be made from number 7 plastics: CDs and also DVDs, car components, and toys like Lego. Due to the fact that this team of products is so large when talking about recycling these, it's best to check your local council for guidelines. Some # 7 items, like bottles as well as containers, could be recyclable, but others will require you to find a specialized drop-off site.

To make it extra complicated, this label is also used for naturally degradable plastics: plastic made from sugar or corn starch. (Think of the plastic fork you might get from your vegan takeout place.) These are not recyclable, but they are compostable. Inspect any tags thoroughly before throwing these in the garden compost, though, and make doubly certain that they're naturally degradable.

Generally, most plastic is recyclable, however, because of collection, arranging, and cleaning centers, only certain plastics can be accepted by your regional council. Codes 1, 2 & 5 can normally be recycled by your regional council, and codes 3, 4, 6 & 7 need to be checked depending on where you live.

It is important to do your due persistence and to inspect your products for these codes to make sure that you are recycling them in the correct way.