Types of recyclable plastic packaging

Despite all publications against it, plastic packaging remains essential and part of our everyday lives. Wherever you look, you can find it in everything we consume and use. One of the great concerns today is related to packaging and the huge amount that ends up in nature, polluting ecosystems and detaching all kinds of toxic elements that pose a risk to our health. In this sense, recyclable plastic packaging has emerged as an alternative, to solve part of the environmental problem that human being is generating.

To know how to recycle plastic bottles or other packaging correctly and to achieve greater use of resources, it is key to know the types of recyclable plastic packaging that exist.

There are several types of containers, composed of different materials that are recycled to a greater or lesser extent and that are more or less easy to separate from the other components in the recycling process. Each of the types of recyclable plastic  packaging  is adapted to specific products or sectors.  Many of these sectors, such as industrial, chemical, cosmetic,  dermocosmetic  or agrochemical, are already aware of the need to demand these recyclable plastic packaging to further control their negative effect on nature and meet the expectations that more and more consumers have.

You can read more on the following article:  Sustainable ECO packaging, all you need to know about

Situation in Spain 

Even though the use of plastic packaging is worldwide spread, Spain stands out for being one of the countries with the worst recycling and recovery  figures for recyclable plastic packaging.

This means that even by putting all the means to produce recyclable plastic packaging that can be recovered and reused, the way end consumers act and the continuous wrong recycling they carry out means that the effects of plastic packaging continue to have negative effects on the environment.

It is not only worth separating what we consume in different containers, you need to know the types of recyclable plastic containers out there to recycle them properly. Many of these containers are mixed with other waste, making it very difficult and even impossible to recover. Others, however, are deposited in erroneous containers, and many plastics that are not considered packaging are left down together with recyclable plastic containers, creating a mixture of materials that can completely prevent their recycling.

 The problem is that these mixed materials end up in landfills, in the wild or incinerated. Any of these three options remains as harmful to both, health and the environment, as not recycling.

That is why many companies and sectors no longer only demand recyclable plastic packaging for their products, but also greater awareness and training of the population to make correct use of these packaging. Taking certain measures, such as reusing, recycling  properly or producing biodegradable packaging, are some of the solutions that could give way, at least in part, to the problem that Spain has with the recovery of these wastes.

What types of recyclable plastic packaging are  there?

Of all the packaging that exists, recyclable plastic containers are those that to a greater or lesser extent can be recovered and used to produce new packaging.  We can find the following types:

• PET – this is one of the most recycled plastics in the world. We usually find it in the form of PET bottles, in sectors such as food, industrial, cosmetics, etc. It is characterized by being transparent, light, flexible and have good resistance to gases and moisture.  Its lightness is precisely what makes its transport more efficient and sustainable than that of other materials, and can be reused, although it can release toxins over time, so the best option is to recycle it.
• HDPE – this type of plastic is very resistant, is used for higher weight packaging, and for its good resistance to chemical corrosion is one of the most used for chemicals, agrochemicals and cleaning.
• PP – PP containers  are  easily  recyclable and resistant to heat, moisture and chemicals.

Recyclable  plastic containers can be used to create new packaging of chemicals,  agrochemicals, detergents and the like if they have been recycled multiple times, while to pack food products, they can only have been recycled once or  they must contain at least 50% non-recycled plastic.  Plastic containers with the letter O  or  number 7, on the other hand, are difficult to recycle as the materials that make up it are rarely known. It is essential to separate in order to facilitate recycling in management plants enabled for this purpose. But keep in mind that “separating, it’s not recycling.” It’s just the first step of the gear on a circuit where WE ALL participate.

At Alcion  Packaging  Solutions     we work for greater  sustainability, and constantly look for new formulas to produce  recyclable plastic packaging with the best features to house all kinds of products. With materials such as  PET or HDPE,   we manufacture  100% recyclable packaging so you can protect your product safely and responsibly with the environment.