Let's talk about plastic: How is it classified and how is it recycled?

Caring for the environment is an important issue that can be approached from various angles; One of them is recycling, a practice that seeks to promote the processing of materials to reduce the impact caused on nature and keep them within the production cycle.

Is it possible to recycle everything? On this occasion, Vida Circular, an initiative made up of a multidisciplinary group of people engaged in advancing constructively in solutions that favor our environment, tells us about plastic, its classifications and how it is that, based on its nomenclature, they can be recycled. .

This material was introduced to the markets in the 19th century, and over the years, its properties have been modified to serve different purposes. Currently we can find 7 types of plastic that are identified by the composition of their internal structure.

From this, two main groups of plastics were established: natural and synthetic, which in turn are subdivided into thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers. Each of them can be recycled, but the complexity of processing them is different.

What determines its recyclability is its Identification Code found in the "Moëbius triangle", a figure that encapsulates a number from 1 to 7 and depending on this scale is the level of work to recycle it.

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Next, we present the different types of plastics and in which products you could find them:

1. PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate or polyethylene terephthalate): found in water or soft drink bottles, food packaging and some medicine containers.
2. HDPE (High Density Polyethylene or high-density polyethylene): used in shampoo containers or in bottles of detergents, softeners, among others.
3. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride): used in credit cards, pipes, pipes, cable coatings, among others
4. LDPE (Low Density PolyEthylene or low-density polyethylene): used in plastic bags, adhesive film, among others.
5. PP (Polypropylene or polypropylene): it is found in water or soft drink caps, caps, tupperware, straws, car parts and syringes, among others
6. PS (Polystyrene or polystyrene): cutlery, trays, cups for hot drinks, among others.
7. Others: industrial pieces, mattresses, jugs or electrical appliances.

This classification is important as it drives the creation of new technologies and strategies, with the aim of reusing most plastics (among other materials).

According to Ecolana, the first digital map to recycle in Mexico, each type of plastic that exists must meet some specifications to make your recycling process much easier and more efficient:

1. PET: Make sure you wash the containers well and crush them to take them to a collection center.
2. HDPE: It is important that the containers are clean, dry and free of grease in order to be able to recycle them. In this type of material, there are chemical containers that are marked with a four-color diamond, which must be given special treatment.
3. PVC: This waste is taken to special centers to analyze it so that it can be reused.
4. LDPE: It is recycled in a similar way to any other plastic, but instead of the waste being ground, the guillotining technique is used.
5. PP: Mechanical recycling is used, but under the extrusion and injection method, which consists of melting and molding the materials at a constant flow and force.
6. PS: Since this material is found in food items, it is necessary to leave the residue as clean as possible and without organic remains for recycling.
7. Others: In this category, waste is processed depending on the specific characteristics of the packaging; however, all those that have the number 7 in the Moëbius triangle, there are few places that receive this waste (such as CD's) for recycling.

As responsible consumers, we must find out about all the products we consume on a daily basis and check what type of material it is made of. The goal is to choose products that are easily recyclable and friendly to the planet.

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