Recycling & Plastics

can you tell apart these plastics?

Most of us use plastic products on daily basis. It is a bless that we are enjoying the convenience of a multitude of plastic products, let’s also not forget that (improperly disposed) plastic is one of the major source of polution from our modern society. Therefore, it is an integral part of our recycling efforts that we know what type of plastic we are handling and how it can be disposed of.

There is yet another important aspect of knowing your plastic product—health and food safety. Have you ever reused any plastic bottles for carrying water around? Have you ever been scared by massive melamine contamination scandals? You will need some basic understanding of plastics.

绝大多数现代人都会在日常生活中或多或少地接触到塑料制品。虽然能够在生活中用上各式各样的塑料用品是非常方便的，可是我们也不能忘记，（被不正确地丢弃的）塑料产品同时也是现代社会所带给地球的一大污染源。因此，认识各种类型的塑料制品的不同性质，并且熟悉它们各自的适用范围及正确的处理方法，就成了我们环保努力中不可或缺的一环了。

另外，学习、认识各类塑料的同时，也可能帮助我们解答日常生活中的其中一大问题——健康与食品卫生安全。你曾经试过留下饮料瓶，作为盛水的容器吗？你曾经被“富含”三聚氰胺的塑料产品毒害过吗？……我们大家都需要在这方面多下点儿功夫才行。

SPI Resin ID Code		Name				Common Applications	Recycling Instruction	Remarks
Recycling Code	Symbol	Abbreviation		Polymer	Common Names	Common Applications	Recycling Instruction	Remarks
1		PET		`(COO⏣COOC₂H₄)_n` Polyethylene terephthalate 聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯	聚对酞酸乙二酯涤纶（的确良）	Polyester fibres; Thermoformed sheet (base for films, CDs, food packaging, etc.); Bottles for drinks, detergents, etc.; Electronic components, axis bearing, gear wheel, etc.	PET bottle recycling on Wikipedia	Melts under heat (70°C); may release carcinogenesis DEHP (commonly used as plasticizer) when in contact with alcohol or oil.
1		PETE		`(COO⏣COOC₂H₄)_n` Polyethylene terephthalate 聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯	聚对酞酸乙二酯涤纶（的确良）		PET bottle recycling on Wikipedia
2		HDPE		`(C₂H₄)_n` High-density polyethylene 高密度聚乙烯	低压聚乙烯	Ducts and piping systems; Containers and bottles, bottle caps; Plastic lumber (wood-plastic composite); Portable furniture; Plastic bags; Breast implants; Tyvek.	Commonly recycled, relatively easy to process. (As residuals tend to stick to PET, non-food containers shall not be reused even after wash.)	Environmentally friendly due to ease in recycling processing.
2		PEHD		`(C₂H₄)_n` High-density polyethylene 高密度聚乙烯	低压聚乙烯
3		PVC		`(C₂H₃Cl)_n` Polyvinyl chloride 聚氯乙烯		Household sewerage pipes and industrial pipes; Window and door frames, sills; Wire insulator; Clothing (substitute for rubber, leather, and latex); Portable electronic accessories; Commercial signage.	Incineration, due to prohibitive cost of regrinding and recombounding the resin, which could be an environmental hazard.	Reusing or heating (melts at 81°C) may cause leaching of phthalates from the plastic.
3		V		`(C₂H₃Cl)_n` Polyvinyl chloride 聚氯乙烯
4		LDPE		`(C₂H₄)_n` Low-density polyethylene 低密度聚乙烯	高压聚乙烯	Trays and general purpose containers; Food storage and laboratory containers; Corrosion-resistant work surfaces; Weldable, machinable or flexible parts; Tetra Pak; Plastic bags and wraps.		Tend to release carcinogenic substance under intense heat (melts at 90°C).
4		PEBD		`(C₂H₄)_n` Low-density polyethylene 低密度聚乙烯	高压聚乙烯
5		PP		`((CH₃)C₂H₃)_n` Polypropylene 聚丙烯		Plastic living hinges; High performance capacitors; High-purity piping systems; Consumer-grade kettles; Plastic tubs for dairy products; Nonwovens for diapers or sanitary products; Clear bags, stationery folders and packing material; Cold weather base layers; Hernia and pelvic organ prolapse repair; Polymer banknotes.	Commonly recycled, relatively easy to process.	Resistant to heat (up to about 165°C), fatigue and corrosion.
6		PS		`(⏣C₂H₃)_n` Polystyrene 聚苯乙烯	泡沫塑料（发泡胶、保丽龙）	Polystyrene foams; Plastic model assembly kits; Plastic injection molded articles and containers; Biomedical laboratory kits; Thermal insulation; Non-weight-bearing architectural structures; Crafts and model building; Hi-impact copolymer.	Light and cheap, not easy to recycle.	Economical, light and rigid; but tend to release carcinogenic substance when in contact with acidic or alkaline solutions (e.g., orange juice) or under intense heat.
7		OTHER	PC	`(⏣C(CH₃)₂⏣OCOO)_n` Polycarbonate 聚碳酸酯		Compact discs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs; Drinking bottles, drinking glasses; Bullet-resistant “glass”; Laboratory equipments, research animal enclosures; Lighting lenses, sunglass/eyeglass lenses; (Hard wearing) toys; Spacesuit helmet.	Not usually recycled.	Washing with alkaline cleaning agents may cause leaching of BPA from the plastic.
			PMMA	`(C₂H₂(CH₃)COOCH₃)_n` Polymethylmethacrylate 聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯	压克力（Acrylic）有机玻璃	Light or shatter-resistant alternative to glass; Motocycle helmet visors; Light tubes; Intraocular lenses; Dentures; Acrylic paint; Laserdisc optical media.
			GRP	Glass reinforced plastic 玻璃钢		Storage tanks; House building; Piping; PCB.		Light-weight, stiff and strong, resistent to corrosion, good insulating property.
			(G)FRP	(Glass) fibre-reinforced plastic 玻璃纤维(强化塑料)		Storage tanks; House building; Piping; PCB.
			PLA	`(CH(R)COO)_n` Polylactic acid 聚乳酸	玉米淀粉树酯	(Ironable) woven shirts; Microwavable trays; Engineering plastic (blended with a rubber-like polymer like ABS; Biomedical applications like sutures, stents, dialysis media and drug delivery devices.	Pure PLA is fully biodegradable (into water and carbondioxide) and can be recycled through thermal deploymerization.	Has a glass transition temperature of 60–65°C, a melting temperature of 173–178°C; relatively economically friendly.
9		ABS		`(C₂H₃C≡N·C₄H₆·⏣C₂H₃)_n` Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene 丙烯腈－丁二烯－苯乙烯共聚物	ABS树脂 ABS工程塑料	Anti-corrosion piping; Mechanical parts; LEGO^® bricks; Rechargeable shaver.	Not usually recycled.
8		Lead		`Pb` ⁄ `PbO₂` ; `H₂SO₄` Lead-acid battery 铅酸蓄电池
9		Alkaline		`Zn` ; `MnO₂` ; `KOH` Alkaline battery 碱性电池
19		Alkaline		`Zn` ; `MnO₂` ; `KOH` Alkaline battery 碱性电池
10		NiCd		`NiO(OH)` ⁄ `Ni(OH)₂` ; `Cd(OH)₂` Nickel-cadmium battery 镍镉电池
11		NiMH		`M` ⁄ `MH` ; `NiH(OH)` ⁄ `Ni(OH)₂` Nickel-metal hydride battery 镍氢电池
12		Li	B	`Li-(CF)_x` 锂－氟化石墨电池	Lithium battery 锂电池
			C	`Li-MnO₂` 锂锰电池
			E	`Li-SOCl₂` 锂－氯化亚砜电池
			F	`Li-FeS` 锂铁电池
			G	`Li-CuO` 锂－氧化铜电池
13		SO(Z)	S	`Zn` ; `Ag₂O` ; `KOH` ⁄ `NaOH` Silver-oxide battery 银锌电池
14		CZ		`Zn` ; `MnO₂` ; `NH₄Cl` Zinc–carbon battery 碳锌电池锰锌电池
20		PAP	PCB	(Paper) Cardboard 瓦楞纸	瓦通纸纸皮
21		PAP		Mixed paper		Mixed paper magazines; Mail.
22		PAP		Paper
23		PBD		Paperboard 硬纸板		Greeting cards; Frozen food boxes; Book covers.
23		PPB		Paperboard 硬纸板		Greeting cards; Frozen food boxes; Book covers.
40		FE		Steel 钢材
41		ALU		Aluminium 铝
50		FOR		Wood 木材
51		FOR		Cork 软木		Bottle stoppers; Place mats; Construction material.
60		COT		Cotton 棉花
61		TEX		Jute 黄麻
70		GLS		Glass container 玻璃容器
71		GLS		Clear glass 透明玻璃
72		GLS		Green glass Soda-lime glass 钠钙玻璃

Reference:

Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
Types of Plastics, PlasticsIndustry.com, March 2010.