Plastic Recycling Symbols

Plastics are among the most popular packaging materials and are an easily recyclable resource.

However not all plastics are the same. There's a wide variety of different kinds of plastics that each have qualities and characteristics that make them uniquely suited for a wide array of different uses.

Fortunately, most packaging materials have standardized labels with the numerical symbols to help identify the different types available.

Among the most common and most versatile plastic packaging materials is HDPE - high density polyethylene - identified with the #2 symbol which is often found containing household items from shampoo and detergents to the ever-ubiquitous plastic grocery bags.

Similarly, #1 is the ever present clear plastic PETE - Polyethylene Terepthalate

Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods, and thermoforming for manufacturing, and in combination with glass fibre for engineering resins.[5]

In 2016, annual production of PET was 56 million tons.[6] The biggest application is in fibres (in excess of 60%), with bottle production accounting for about 30% of global demand.

In the context of textile applications, PET is referred to by its common name, polyester, whereas the acronym PET is generally used in relation to packaging. Polyester makes up about 18% of world polymer production and is the fourth-most-produced polymer after polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

2 liter soda bottles

Among the characteristics of PET is it's high tensile strength making it great for twine or cordage for tying and binding items together. It can even be made into a durable rope and when exposed to heat it acts as a shrink wrap making it even more versatile and suitable for making strong repairs.

The clear plastic can be colored easily using standard markers making it ideal for decorative crafts. In this example the PET bottles were cut into strips and colored with Sharpies before being rolled into beads.

High Density Polyethylene, HDPE represented with the triangle #2 symbol is among the most common types of plastic used in a variety of consumer packaging products from shampoo bottles to the ubiquitous shopping bag

Raw Material

This pile of "waste" destined for the trash bin

Finished Product

Becomes a useful, durable hand bag

Plarn stands for PLastic-yARN

by processing common plastic shopping bags into strips then "daisy chaining" them together one can twist the delicate plastic strips into robust strands of yarn that can be crocheted, knitted or processed any way standard yarn can be

PLARN FLOOR MAT

This unique 30"x40" floor mat was hand crafted from hundreds of plastic shopping bags

In this example the bags were processed into plarn then hand woven on a wooden loom frame into a very durable multi-use mat that offers a comfortable surface to sit on

Melted Plastic Art

With the recently acquired 3D printer, it quickly became apparent how much waste can be made, especially when printing in multiple colors!
The amount of waste hurt my heart, not to mention my wallet!

Thankfully, we were able to discover new uses for the materials left over from the printing process. The beautiful colors, low melting temperature and low emissions make PLA a wonderful media to work with!

Watch how these printer scraps are transformed into artistic patterns for print on demand products!

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