6. Plastics Recycling
Did you know?
 In 2002, over 159,000 tonnes of plastic was sent for recycling in Australia, only 13.4% of the total plastic
consumption for that yeari.
 Victoria alone accounts for 43% of the total plastics recycled in Australia, with over 68,000 tonnes
recycled in 2002ii.
 In 2002-2003, 7.9% (by weight) of household garbage in Victoria was made up of plastics iii.
 Recycling PET bottles saves 84% of the energy it takes to make PET bottles from raw materials iv.*
 Each year, Australians use 6.9 billion plastic shopping bags. Tied together this amount of bags would
stretch around the world 37 times!v
History of plastic
Plastic is a relatively new material. It was invented by Alexander Parkes in 1860 and has only been used
widely in the past few decades. However, it has quickly become a popular material with over 1.1 million
tonnes of plastic consumed in 2002 alone vi.
Manufacture from virgin materials
Plastics are made from crude oil, gas and coal. The Plastics and Chemicals Industry Association (PACIA)
states that 'much of the raw material for plastics comes from waste in petroleum refining—some of which
would otherwise be flared off and wasted'.
Plastics are polymers, that is, long chain molecules made from smaller molecules called monomers. The
polymers are made in large vessels under special conditions of temperature and pressure, using special
catalysts. At this stage, the polymers are in the form of resin pellets or powders.
There are about 40 different plastics or polymers used today. Each has a different chemical composition and
set of properties that makes it suitable for certain applications.
Plastic products are made in three stages:
1. resin pellets or powders are heated to soften them
2. the softened material is formed into a certain shape
3. Product is cooled, retaining the shape.
There are several ways that plastic products are formed. These include injection moulding (for specially
shaped objects, such as cups, toys and plumbing fittings), extrusion moulding (for plastic sheets, pipes and
tubes) and blow moulding (to make bottles and drums). Other techniques are used to manufacture fibres,
biscuit trays, margarine tubs and foam trays vii.
To help identify different plastics, manufacturers stamp a Plastics Identification Code on their products. This
code is a number inside a triangle with chasing arrows. These codes only identify the product and do not
indicate that the product can be recycled. The codes for the seven most common plastics are shown in the
table further down this page.
Manufacture from recycled materials
Most plastics can be recycled, but due to the difficulty in collecting, sorting, cleaning and reprocessing, at
present it is only economically viable to recycle three types of plastic from domestic sources:
 Code 1, PET (e.g. soft drink bottles)
 Code 2, HDPE (e.g. milk and juice bottles)
 Code 3, Vinyl (V) (e.g. juice and cordial bottles)
Some councils also collect polypropylene plastics (5 – PP), although this is dependent on available markets
for the product.
Plastics collected for recycling must first be separated into polymer types. The codes help recycling
contractors to sort the plastics. Bales of different types of plastic are then returned to factories for
reprocessing. To reprocess the plastic:
EcoRecycle Victoria, Information Sheet 6 - Plastics, modified December 2004
Please think before you print, and remember to print double sided
 Large contaminants are manually removed
 The plastics are either shredded, chopped or ground and then washed to remove further contaminants
 The material is dried and formed into pellets or powder, ready for remaking into new plastic products.
Recycling tips
Which types of plastics can be recycled?
There may be differences in the types of plastic that are accepted for kerbside recycling by your local
council. Check EcoRecycle Victoria's website http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au for details of the waste and
recycling services provided by your local council. The Recycling Services in Victoria guide at this site also
provides information on companies that accept large quantities of plastics that are not collected through
kerbside collection. Return plastic supermarket bags to those supermarkets that collect them.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
When shopping, make sure the items you are buying (its packaging) is
made from recycled plastics. If not, try to buy plastic packaging that is
recyclable through your home kerbside collection (Codes 1, 2, 3 and
sometimes 5). Also, given that it only takes a family 4 average shopping
trips to collect 60 plastics bagsviii, you may want to consider using re-usable
cotton bags instead.
How to prepare plastic bottles for recycling
 Rinse bottles. To conserve water, wash plastic bottles in used
dishwater or in a bucket with other recyclables.
 Remove lids or caps
 Squash bottles
The recycling process - PACIA Website Information, http://www.pacia.com.au/Education/index_frames4.html, Accessed June 2004
EcoRecycle Victoria, Information Sheet 6 - Plastics, modified December 2004
Please think before you print, and remember to print double sided
Some uses for plastics and recycled plastics in Australia
Plastic
Code
Name of plastic
Description
Some uses for virgin
plastic
Some uses for plastic
made from recycled
waste plastic
polyethylene
terephthalate
PET
Clear, tough
plastic, may be
used as a fibre.
Soft drink and mineral water
bottles, filling for sleeping
bags and pillows, textile
fibres.
Soft drink bottles, (multiand mono-layer)
detergent bottles, clear
film for packaging,
carpet fibres, fleecy
jackets.
high density
polyethylene
HDPE
Very common
plastic, usually
white or
coloured.
Crinkly shopping bags,
freezer bags, milk and
cream bottles, bottles for
shampoo and cleaners, milk
crates.
Compost bins, detergent
bottles, crates, mobile
rubbish bins, agricultural
pipes, pallets, kerbside
recycling crates,
moulded products.
unplasticised
polyvinyl chloride
UPVC
Hard, rigid
plastic may be
clear.
Clear cordial and juice
bottles, blister packs,
plumbing pipes and fittings.
Detergent bottles, tiles,
plumbing pipe fittings,
shoes.
plasticised
polyvinyl chloride
PPVC
Flexible, clear,
elastic plastic.
Garden hose, shoe soles,
blood bags and tubing.
Hose inner core,
industrial flooring.
low density
polyethylene
LDPE
Soft, flexible
plastic.
Lids of ice-cream
containers, garbage bags,
garbage bins, black plastic
sheet.
Film for builders,
industry, packaging and
plant nurseries, bags,
agricultural piping.
polypropylene PP
Hard, but
flexible plastic many uses.
Ice-cream containers, potato
crisp bags, drinking straws,
hinged lunch boxes.
Compost bins, kerbside
recycling crates, worm
factories, plant pots,
automotive parts.
polystyrene PS
Rigid, brittle
plastic. May be
clear, glassy.
Yoghurt containers, plastic
cutlery, imitation crystal
'glassware'.
Clothes pegs, coat
hangers, office
accessories, spools,
rulers, video/CD boxes.
expandable
polystyrene
EPS
Foamed,
lightweight,
energy
absorbing,
thermal
insulation
Hot drink cups, takeaway
food containers, meat trays,
packaging.
Produce boxes, waffle
pods used in building.
other
Includes all other plastics, including acrylic
and nylon.
Annual Survey of Recycling Industries 2002/2003, EcoRecycle Victoria
EcoRecycle Victoria, Information Sheet 6 - Plastics, modified December 2004
Please think before you print, and remember to print double sided
Fence posts, outdoor
furniture, injection
moulded products,
agricultural piping.
Sources


Beverage Industry Environment Council 1998, Recycling Audit and Garbage Bin Analysis
BIEC see Beverage Industry Environment Council
Gould League 1993, Plastic Recycling Kit
Weblinks





Beverage Industry Environment Council http://www.biec.com.au
Clean Up Australia http://www.cleanup.com.au
National Packaging Covenant http://www.deh.gov.au/industry/waste/covenant/index.html
Packaging Council http://packcoun.org.au
Plastics and Chemical Industries Association (PACIA) http://www.pacia.com.au
References
i
Plastics and chemicals Industries Association (PACIA), National plastics recycling survey 2003.
ibid
iiiEcoRecycle Victoria, Local Government Data Collection 2002 – 2003 Kerbside Waste Management
Services, 2004
iv Grant T, James K, Dimova C, Sonnefield K, & Lundies S, 1999. Stage 1 Report for the Life Cycle
Assessment of Packaging Waste Management in Victoria (*Study limited to metropolitan areas. When
modelled for rural locations, energy savings decrease due to an increase in transport requirements,
however, the rural results are still positive.)
v Clean Up Australia, http://www.cleanup.com.au/, Accessed June 2004
vi Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association (PACIA) 2003, National Plastics Recycling Survey 2003.
vii PACIA Website Information, http://www.pacia.com.au/Education/index_frames4.html, Accessed June
2004
viii Clean Up Australia, http://www.cleanup.com.au/, Accessed June 2004
ii
EcoRecycle Victoria, Information Sheet 6 - Plastics, modified December 2004
Please think before you print, and remember to print double sided