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April 6, 2021

THE 7 DIFFERENT TYPES OF

PLASTIC

The 7 Different Types of Plastic (/blog/different-

types-of-plastic)
Not all plastic is born equal. In fact, not only can plastic be found in a variety of different shapes
and colors, but also in many different types. Each one is different from the other and has different
uses. For example, some types of plastic are reusable and others aren’t because of the chemicals
they contain; some can be recycled and others need to be disposed of in a different way.

In order to help you make better-informed decisions about the products that you buy, today we will
go through the seven different types of plastic, how they differ, and their impact on the environment.
So, keep reading!
WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLASTIC?

In 1988, the Society of the Plastics Industry introduced the Resin Identification Code (RIC) system
which divided plastic resins into 7 different categories.

The purpose was to “provide a consistent national system to facilitate recycling of post-consumer
plastics." Since then, after undergoing some minor variations, the RIC has been recognized as the
worldwide standard plastic classification.

THE DIFFERENT PLASTIC TYPES

1 – PET

Plastics that belong to group number one are made out of polyethylene terephthalate or PET. It
holds the number one spot because of its widespread utility. It is mostly used for food and drink
packaging purposes due to its strong ability to prevent oxygen from getting in and spoiling the
product inside.

It’s usually picked up through most curbside recycling programs and has a tremendously positive
track record! In fact, PET bottles are the most widely recycled plastic in the world!

Beverage bottles are among the main plastic items that come for PET.

2 – HDPE

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.

Despite its many advantages and efforts made by the plastic industry to increase its reusability
(https://vinylplus.eu/recycling/a-smart-material/why-recycle), 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.
 LDPE is used for the infamous plastic bags that are usually used for a few seconds and then discarded.

5-PP

Polypropylene is the second-most widely produced commodity plastic and its market is forecasted
to grow even more in the following years (https://www.ceresana.com/en/market-
studies/plastics/polypropylene/). Hard and sturdy, it can withstand high temperatures and is found in
tupperwares, car parts, thermal vests, yogurt containers, and even disposable diapers.

Fun fact: because it is VERY resistant to fatigue, PP is usually used for living hinges (the thin piece
of plastic that allows a part of a product to fold or bend from 1 to 180 degrees).

A living hinge on a PP cap.

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 (which often happens because, as it’s
found in disposable take-out containers, people oftentimes microwave it to heat up the food inside
it).

Environmentally-speaking it’s among the worst types of plastic: first, it is regarded as

not biodegradable. Second, polystyrene foam blows in the wind and floats on water, due to its low
specific gravity. Animals do not recognize it as artificial and may mistake it for food causing serious
effects on the health of birds or marine animals that might swallow it.

In addition, polystyrene is not accepted in curbside collection recycling programs and is not
separated and recycled where it is accepted. To sum up, it’s a no-go.

7 – OTHER 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.

Here’s a brief recap of what we have learned so far:

F I N A L C O N S I D E R AT I O N S

We hope this blog post has provided some clarity about the differences among all these plastic
types. In the next blog post, we will explain which of these plastic types can be recycled and which
not, so stick around!

As usual, remember to opt for reusable alternatives to plastic, to avoid purchasing the dangerous
types and recycle as much as possible the types of plastic that you can!

P.S.

At Plastics For Change, we are giving second life to discarded plastic numbers 1,2,4, and 5 and re-
use them for the creation of various different products while cleaning our oceans!

If you are interested in knowing more about what we do, click here
(https://www.plasticsforchange.org/).

Tagged: Recycling plastic (/blog/tag/Recycling+plastic)

 44 Likes  Share

COMMENTS (17) Newest First

Preview P O S T C O M M E N T…

ppsuckerandlover A week ago · 0 Likes

god i love pp so much god oh god

ppsuckerandlover A week ago · 0 Likes

like the vid if you alos love pp

ballsack 2 weeks ago · 0 Likes

i love pp

oliver 2 weeks ago · 0 Likes

that's cool

lu 2 weeks ago · 0 Likes

wow that's cool, thanks for the good info

lokesh A month ago · 0 Likes

Thank you, your content is helpful and well-detailed. Looking forward to more content.
https://www.spectraplast.in/pp-tank.php

Matt 2 months ago · 0 Likes

I work in a plastic recycling plante we have adapted to recycling 99% of wot we buy in we
also make the compound to sell on to make fresh plastic

Naran A week ago · 0 Likes

I am very interesting with a plastic recycling. Can I have some advice for how to do it?

VMK 7 months ago · 0 Likes

Awesome Information....
But one thing missing if you show it video type it's more Interesting to learn more about
plastic

Suryakanta 7 months ago · 0 Likes

Good Information..

Niranjana K R 11 months ago · 0 Likes

Thanks for this information. Very helpful indeed.

Sumer singha 11 months ago · 0 Likes

This information is very useful for me , thank you

Allen Nauss A year ago · 0 Likes

What kind of plastic are portable gas cans & gas tanks made of ?

Patty 7 months ago · 0 Likes

Most portable gas cans are made of HDPE

DK A year ago · 0 Likes

Love this blog.

Value Market Research A year ago · 0 Likes

According to Value Market Research, the latest technology trends and global market
opportunity analysis in the PET Foam Market industry growing with a high CAGR in the
upcoming year. Our report has categorized the market based on technology, service,
development, vertical and region. https://www.valuemarketresearch.com/report/pet-foam-
market

Anna A year ago · 0 Likes

Dear Purchase Manager,

Good day.

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plastic mould in China, and scope covers the following:

car molds,household molds,household plastic,and other plastic,etc.

Pls kindly inform us how about requirements of plstic mould and materials for your good
company.

Hope we can have well cooperation in near future.

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B&rgs

Anna

Shanghai Office: 212 RM, Xiangju RD, Qingpu District, Shanghai

Tel:18017754455

Wechat:18017754455

Taizhou Office:No.1, Building 1, Area 4, Houyang new village, Xicheng Street, Huangyan
District, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China

Tel: 13757677425

Wechat: 13757677425

Email: [email protected]
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