![]() It is most often used to make disposable foam drinking cups, take-out “clamshell” food containers, egg cartons, plastic picnic cutlery, foam packaging and those ubiquitous “peanut” foam chips used to fill shipping boxes to protect the contents. ![]() Polystyrene is an inexpensive, lightweight and easily-formed plastic with a wide variety of uses. To cut down on how much PP you consume, opt for reusable straws instead of plastic ones, reusable water bottles, and cloth diapers. To recycle products made from PP, check with your local curbside program to see if they are now accepting this material. However, #5 plastic is today becoming more accepted by recyclers. ![]() Recycled PP is used to make landscaping border stripping, battery cases, brooms, bins and trays. ![]() Polypropylene is recyclable through some curbside recycling programs, but only about 3% of PP products are currently being recycled in the US. PP is also commonly used for disposable diapers, pails, plastic bottle tops, margarine and yogurt containers, potato chip bags, straws, packing tape and rope. When you try to open the thin plastic liner in a cereal box, it is polypropylene. It serves as a barrier against moisture, grease and chemicals. Polypropylene plastic is tough and lightweight, and has excellent heat-resistance qualities. You can also replace plastic sandwich bags with platinum silicone alternatives, which are heat safe. To cut down on the amount of LDPE that you consume, try replacing your plastic grocery bags with fabric alternatives and taking a cloth bag to your local bakery the next time you buy a loaf of bread. You need to check with your local collection service to see if they are accepting LDPE plastic items for recycling. Products made using LDPE plastic are reusable, but not always recyclable. Products made using recycled LDPE are not as hard or rigid as those made using recycled HDPE plastic. When recycled, LDPE plastic is used for plastic lumber, landscaping boards, garbage can liners and floor tiles. It is not commonly recycled, however, although this is changing in many communities today as more plastic recycling programs gear up to handle this material. LDPE is considered less toxic than other plastics, and relatively safe for use. Some clothing and furniture also uses this type of plastic. The plastic grocery bags used in most stores today are made using LDPE plastic. LDPE is often found in shrink wraps, dry cleaner garment bags, squeezable bottles, and the type of plastic bags used to package bread. To avoid items made with PVC plastic, consider replacing plastic food wrap with reusable beeswax wraps plastic toys with reclaimed wool stuffed animals and your PVC garden hose with a Drinking Water Safe Garden Hose. While some PCV products can be repurposed, PVC products should not be reused for applications with food or for children’s use. Products made using PVC plastic are not recyclable. Almost all products using PVC require virgin material for their construction less than 1% of PVC material is recycled. PVC is dubbed the “poison plastic” because it contains numerous toxins which it can leach throughout its entire life cycle. Because PVC is relatively impervious to sunlight and weather, it is used to make window frames, garden hoses, arbors, raised beds and trellises. It is commonly used as the sheathing material for computer cables, to make plastic pipes and parts for plumbing, and in garden hoses. PVC is a soft, flexible plastic used to make clear plastic food wrapping, cooking oil bottles, teething rings, children’s and pets’ toys, and blister packaging for myriad consumer products.
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