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The Environment - What Do The Numbers Inside The Recycling Symbol On Plastic Containers Mean?
What do the numbers inside the recycling symbol on plastic containers mean?
The Society of the Plastics Industry developed a voluntary coding system for plastic containers to assist recyclers in sorting plastic containers. The symbol is imprinted on the bottom of plastic containers. The numerical code appears inside a three-sided triangular arrow.
A guide to what the numbers mean is listed below. The most commonly recycled plastics are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE).
| Code | Material | Examples |
| 1 | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | Soft drink bottles |
| 2 | High-density polyethylene (HDPE) | Milk and water jugs |
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