Thursday 24 April 2008

A Guide to Plastics

Besides all the go-green items that number hundreds by the day now (Earth day was 2 days a go if you missed it), usually in the form of window sprays or eco-this or that. I came across a guide to plastics.
Somewhere on most – but not all – plastic containers is a recycling symbol and a number or acronym in or below the triangle to indicate the type of plastic. In general, only containers marked 1 or 2 are easily recycled.
1 Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene (PET or PETE) is used in disposable water, juice and soda bottles. It presents no known health hazards, particularly if used only once.
2 High density polyethylene (HDPE) is used in opaque milk jugs, bleach and shampoo bottles, and some plastic bags. No known health hazards.
3 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or V) is used in cling wrap, some squeeze bottles, peanut butter jars and window-cleaner bottles. Many chemicals are added to PVC to make it soft and flexible. Some of these compounds are suspected toxins or endocrine disrupters.
4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is used in grocery bags, most plastic wraps and some bottles. No known health hazards.
5 Polypropylene (PP) is used in longer-lived plastics, straws and some baby bottles. No known health hazards.
6 Polystyrene (PS) is used in egg cartons, carryout containers, disposable cups and opaque plastic cutlery. It is made from styrene, a suspected carcinogen, and other chemicals believed to be endocrine disrupters.
7 All other plastic resins, including polycarbonates (PC), which are used in clear baby bottles, 5-gallon water bottles, food can linings and dental fillings. Polycarbonates contain bisphenol-a or BPA, which has been linked to a variety of maladies.

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