Plastic Recycling Codes

Polyethylene Terephthalate

PET/PETE

PET is clear, tough and has good gas and moisture barrier properties. This resin is commonly used in beverage bottles due to its lightweight and shatter-resistant qualities. PET is recycled more than any other plastic.

High Density Polyethylene

HDPE

HDPE is used to make many types of bottles. Unpigmented bottles are translucent, have good barrier properties and stiffness. They are also well suited to packaging products with a short shelf life such as milk. Because HDPE has good chemical resistance, it is used for packaging many household and industrial chemicals such as detergents and bleach. Pigmented HDPE bottles have bettwe stress crack resistance than unpigmented HDPE.

Polyvinyl Chloride

PVC, Vinyl

In addition to its stable physical properties, PVC has good chemical resistance, weatherability, flow characteristics and stable electrical properties. The diverse state of vinyl products can be broadly divided into rigid and flexible materials.

Low Density Polyethylene

LDPE

LDPE is used predominantly in film applications due to its toughness, flexibility and relative transparency, making it popular for use in applications where heat sealing is necessary. LDPE is also used to manufacture some flexible lids and bottles.

Polypropylene

PP

PP has good chemical resistance, is strong and has a high melting point making it good for hot-fill liquids. This resin is found in flexible and rigid packaging, fibers and large molded parts for automotive and consumer products.

Polystyrene

PS

PS is a versatile plastic that can be rigid or as expanded polystyrene foam, more commonly known as styrofoam. General purpose polystyrene is clear, hard and brittle. It has a relatively low melting point. Typical applications include protective packaging, foodservice packaging, bottles and food containers.

Other

Use of this code indicates that a package is made with a resin other than the six listed above, whick includes acrylic, polycarbonate and nylon to name a few.

McKernan Precycle® Packaging is pre-consumer recycling. It involves repurposing unused surplus goods. Precycling yields a greater return than recycling and puts money in your pocket instead of a landfill. For more information on our Precycle® program, call a McKernan Surplus Specialist Today at 1-800-SURPLUS.