Unit 1: Plastic types and corresponding labelling

Since there are about 50 various types of plastics with hundreds of different varieties, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking code in order to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastics. The plastic products are labeled and separated into seven groups as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), and OTHER (other kinds of plastic products) (Özkan, 2015).

(Source: https://www.viasverdesregiondemurcia.es/examples-of-plastic-k.html )

The following symbols can be found on a variety of packaging and explain a range of information: whether or not an item can be recycled, how to dispose of the item, or if it is made of recycled material:

Symbol	Meaning
	Plastic resin codes
	Glass
	Paper, card and wood
	Recyclable aluminium
	Waste electricals
	Compostable packaging
	Home compostable packaging
	Mobius Loop
	The Green Dot
	Tidyman

Photo source: https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/recycling-symbols#The-on-pack-recycling-label-(or-OPRL) )

These labels have different meanings and specific information to make people aware of their handling. For example, the Forest Stewarship Council (FSC) symbol identifies wood-based products from well managed forests, or the Mobius loop symbol explains that an object is capable of being recycled but that it will not necessarily be accepted in all recycling systems. However, is kind of important to be aware of the real significance of these symbols.

For further information about each label, you can read the following article[1]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901122000600.

[1] For even more information you can also visit the following webpage: https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/recycling-symbols#The-on-pack-recycling-label-(or-OPRL)