Guidelines for Plastic Recycling

Plastic products are ubiquitous in our daily lives, from trays and shower gel bottles to ballpoint pens, plastic boxes, and even plastic beverage bottles, they have brought us great convenience.

Plastic buckets, plastic toys, and other waste plastics can be recycled and reused as long as they remain clean, dry, and uncontaminated.

The remaining beverages in the beverage bottle and the milk in the milk carton need to be thoroughly poured and flattened before recycling to ensure that they can be properly recycled and reused. This not only reduces the burden on sanitation workers, but also effectively compresses the volume of recycled materials, making transportation and subsequent recycling easier. However, certain items that have been contaminated or mixed with other garbage, such as contaminated plastic bags, disposable fast food boxes for takeout, and contaminated courier packaging bags, are not suitable for recycling and should be stacked as other garbage.

Attention before garbage classification and placement: 

Before placing, please try to filter out the moisture in the items as much as possible to ensure that the bagged garbage is dry. For other types of garbage, such as regular household waste, they should be placed in dedicated collection containers. It is particularly important to note that discarded medicine bottles and utensils belong to the category of hazardous waste. It is necessary to maintain their original packaging and dispose of them in the nearby expired medicine recycling bin at the community service center.

Cause of environmental protection: 

When dealing with garbage, we not only need to pay attention to classification and disposal, but also to some special types of garbage. For example, discarded medicine bottles and medical supplies are considered hazardous waste, and their disposal methods are vastly different from ordinary waste. To ensure that these hazardous wastes are properly disposed of, we need to maintain their original packaging and dispose of them in the expired medicine recycling bin at the community service center according to regulations. Through these measures, we can collectively contribute to the cause of environmental protection.

What should we do with the plastic lid on the coffee cup, the plastic bottle of mineral water and juice, the plastic container for lotion and face cream, and the plastic fresh-keeping film for food preservation, which are common plastic products in our daily life? Should it be recycled and reused?

1.Misunderstandings of Plastic Recycling Logo: 

The plastic recycling label does not represent that the plastic is recyclable, but rather identifies the material for differentiation. Understanding the differences in plastic materials and the possibility of recycling can contribute to environmental protection. So, what are the differences between these different materials of plastic? What are their respective purposes? Are some plastics easy to recycle? Will some have adverse effects after multiple uses? Is the texture of some plastics soft? Next, let's explore the answers to these questions together.

2.Common Plastic Types and Characteristics

Polyethylene terephthalate: 

This type of plastic has the characteristics of lightweight and high hardness, and most of them are in a transparent state. The water bottles, soda bottles, cups, and food packaging commonly seen in our daily lives are usually made of PET material. In daily life in Japan, plastic bottles are often directly referred to as "PET bottles", and the common label on trash cans is also "PET" instead of "plastic". In addition, PET is also used in textile products.

High density polyethylene:

 High density polyethylene is a sturdy material extracted from petroleum and has a high melting point. It is often used in food packaging and pipeline manufacturing, and is highly favored for its ability to resist mold, mildew, and decay. In addition, high-density polyethylene is also an environmentally friendly material that can be recycled and reused. HDPE is sturdy and heat-resistant, commonly used in food packaging and pipelines, and is an environmentally friendly recyclable material.

Polyvinyl chloride:

Polyvinyl chloride is a lightweight and durable material with high density, often used in the construction industry. It has two main types: hard and plastic. Hard PVC has a brittle texture and is suitable for use in pipelines and agriculture; Plasticized PVC has excellent flexibility and can flexibly construct building units. It is worth noting that although PVC is recyclable, its recovery rate is not high, so we should try to minimize its use. PVC is durable and widely used, but has a low recycling rate, so it should be avoided as much as possible. However, it performs excellently in pipeline manufacturing.

Low density polyethylene:

Compared to high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene is lighter, softer, and more flexible. This material is often used to manufacture daily necessities such as food bags, bubble wrap, and trash cans. In addition, it is widely used in bottle manufacturing in laboratories, as well as insulation layers for wires and cables. It should be noted that this material is often difficult to recycle. LDPE is light and soft, used for food bags and laboratory reagent bottles, but it is usually not recyclable.

Polypropylene: 

Polypropylene has excellent chemical resistance, which can resist the erosion of alkali and acid, and also exhibits high resistance to electricity and heat. Its surface characteristics are smooth, making this material not only durable but also easy to clean. PP is resistant to chemical corrosion, with a smooth surface, widely used in daily necessities, and recyclable. Polypropylene has a wide range of applications in many fields, such as the manufacturing of straws, bottle caps, packaging tapes, disposable diapers, and DVD/CD boxes.

Polystyrene: 

Polystyrene is known for its hardness, lack of flexibility, and natural transparency. It has a wide range of applications in packaging, consumer electronics, test tubes, and lighting fixtures. However, due to the difficulty of recycling, it may not be suitable for environmental requirements unless it is specifically sent to a centralized factory for recycling. PS is hard and transparent, often used for packaging, but due to its difficulty in recycling, it is recommended to reduce its use. Therefore, it is recommended to minimize the use of unnecessary polystyrene products as much as possible during use.

Other types of plastics

This covers a wide range of items beyond the first six categories. Although they may not appear frequently, it is worth noting that these types of plastics are often not recyclable. Of course, even if a certain type of plastic is recyclable, it does not mean that all items made from it can be recycled. There are many species that are not recyclable, and even if plastic is recyclable, it does not mean that the product is recyclable. In order to have a clearer understanding of which plastic products are recyclable, we have written an article specifically to explore them. I hope it can provide you with helpful guidance on which plastic products should not be recycled.

1: Clean up plastic waste and avoid mixing it with food residues and other impurities.

2: Classify and dispose of different types of plastic waste, which can cause mutual pollution and make recycling difficult.

3: For some difficult to recycle plastic products, the use should be minimized as much as possible to reduce environmental pollution.