Sustainability

Question 1

Name and provide examples of plastic resin #1

Answer 1

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Bottled water and other soft drinks

Question 2

Name and provide examples of plastic resin #2

Answer 2

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Shampoo bottles, laundry detergent

Question 3

Name and provide examples of plastic resin #3

Answer 3

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Clear food packaging, cling wrap, plastic squeeze bottles.

Question 4

Name and provide examples of plastic resin #4

Answer 4

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Frozen food bags, plastic wrap

Question 5

Name and provide examples of plastic resin #5

Answer 5

Polypropylene (PP)

Yoghurt and margarine containers

Question 6

Name and provide examples of plastic resin #6

Answer 6

Polystyrene (PS)

Disposable cutlery, styrofoam food containers

Question 7

Name and provide examples of plastic resin #7

Answer 7

Mixed or other

Kids, medical containers

Question 8

Name the plastic resins that are highest and lowest demanded.

Answer 8

Recycling markets are driven by commodity.
High quality plastics such as HDPE #2 have significant market demand because they are durable and easily malleable.
On the other hand, PVC #3 are undesirable because they are not durable, are difficult to sort at recycling facilities (resulting in contamination) and have no significant resale value.
These cascading affects have made plastic film, particularly plastic bags undesirable and often not accepted in municipal recycling programs.