Plastic Packaging Products

Every day our lives are touched by plastic packaging products.  These are some of the more common packaging products organized according to their plastic type.

PET (polyethylene terphthalate) beverage containers, food containers, boil-in food pouches, processed meat packages.

HDPE (high density polyethylene) milk bottles, cereal box liners, detergent bottles, oil bottles, margarine tubs, toys, plastic bags.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packaging.

LDPE (low density polyethylene) shrink-wrap, plastic bags, garment bags, dry cleaning bags, squeezable food bottles. 

PP (polypropylene) margarine and yogurt containers, caps for containers, wrapping to replace cellophane, medicine bottles. 

PS (polystyrene) egg cartons, fast food trays, disposable plastic silverware, cups, compact disc jackets. 
 

To assist recycling of disposable items, the Plastic Bottle Institute of the Society of the Plastics Industry devised the now-familiar scheme to mark plastic bottles by plastic type.  A recyclable plastic container using this scheme is marked with a triangle with three "chasing arrows" inside of it, which enclose a number giving the plastic type: PETE, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS, and OTHER.