Milan Berjan
3A Biology
Web Quest
Now that you have completed your Internet research on recycling plastics, prepare a table that lists all seven types of
plastics. In the left column, write in the code for each of the seven plastics. At the top of the rows, write in the material
that each code stands for and the abbreviation used for that type of plastic, then the items the plastic is normally used
to make. In the last row, write in what the plastic can be recycled to make. The table is started for you below. You will
receive extra points for listing more than one item under how normally used and can be recycled as, up to a total of
six items under each heading.
Table 1. Recycling Plastics
Code
Material & Abbreviation How Normally Used
Can Be Recycled As
PET
2 Polyethylene
teraphthalate, PET,
PETE
soft drink bottles
soft drink bottles, paint
brushes,
carpeting, egg cartons
HDPE
High density
polyethylene
HDPE
Milk jugs
Liquid laundry detergent
bottles, motor oil containers,
flour pots, shampoo bottles
PVC or V
Polyvinyl chloride, V
Garden hoses,
plastic flooring, credit
cards, shower
curtains
Packaging, loose-leaf
binders, decking paneling,
floor tiles and matts,
electrical boxes, garden
hose, mobile home skirting
LDPE
Low density
polyethylene, LDPE
Clear packaging on
cassettes or cds,
plastic sandwich
bags, recycled at
many grocery stores
Shipping envelopes,
garbage can liners, floor
tile, paneling, furniture, films
and sheet, compost bins,
trash cans, landscape
timber, and outdoor lumber.
Polypropylene Generally not
recyclables, PP
Plastic lids, bottle
caps, straws, some
food containers
Car battery case, signal
lights, battery cables,
brooms, ice scrapes, oil
funnels, bicycle racks
Polystyrene
Styrofoam, such as
coffee cups, PS
Styrofoam like coffee Thermometers, light switch
cups
plates, thermal insulation,
egg containers, vents, foam
packaging, fume plates
cups and utensils
Mixed
Plastics
Several types of
plastics mixed
plastics mixed
together, probably
together, probably can’t can’t be recycled
be recycled, OTHER
Bottles and plastic lumber
applications
Complete the table by adding the appropriate information for all seven types of plastic.
Milan Berjan
3A Biology
Web Quest
It’s important to recycle plastics; it helps keep Earth clean and pollution free.
Most plastics can be recycled and made into something. For example the HDPE (High
Density Polyethylene) is normally used to make milk jugs. But it’s recycled and thing like
shampoo bottles are made. This recycling process is really efficient and really green so
earth stays healthy and pollution free.
We also recycle plastic bags; they fall into the LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)
category. The plastics in this category are really thin take a really long time to
decompose. A single plastic grocery bag can take up to 500 years to decompose. Also
if bags and wrappers aren’t recycled they can harm other organisms and make a mess.
Another plastic that takes a really long time to decompose is PVC or V (Polyvinyl
Chloride) this is hard dense plastic used to make garden hose, credit cards and flooring.
It’s important to recycle it because then it doesn’t harm the environment and when its
recycled its used to make some cool stuff like binders, matts and electrical boxes.
One of the plastics that really interesting is Polypropylene (PP) it’s generally not
recycled to make anything that it was before. For example: Polypropylene is usually
used to make plastic food containers and straws, but when its recycled its turned into
Car Battery Cases, signal lights and battery cables. So next time you change your car
battery remember that the case from that battery could have been something you ate
out of earlier.
If you go to a home improvement store you can see recycled things all around
you. Just take a look at the paintbrushes they are made from soft drink bottles from the
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) category. Now take a look the light switch plates and
the thermometers; they came from Styrofoam like coffee cups witch are found in the PS
(Polystyrene) category. There are a lot of good things that come from recycling but
there are things that are unrecyclable these things are usually several types of plastics
that are all mixed in together and they fall into the OTHER category. But we can even
recycle these; we use them to make bottles and plastic lumber applications.