What Are The Benefits Of Recycling Packaging Foam Number 6 Posted By: tbarnea

In 1988, The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) gave symbols and numbers to different types of recycled materials. These numbers are placed inside a three arrow triangle recycling symbol, at the bottom of most plastic containers. The number tells us what type of plastic the material is made of. Since some materials needs to be recycled in a different way than others and cannot be mixed, this recycling number system helps us in classifying, separating and sorting out the different types of plastics. The recycling codes consist of numbers from 1 to 7. Number 6 consists of plastic and foam cups, disposable food trays and food containers, foam packaging material for electronics and furniture, egg cartons, foam peanuts and medical coolers. Number 6 is Polystyrene foam, also commonly referred to as Polystyrene, Expanded Polystyrene or EPS foam, which is the one I will concentrate on in this article. Polystyrene is one of the most common forms of plastic. The material is a mixture of about 98% air and only 2% polystyrene; it is water and heat resistant, therefore it is an excellent insulator.Foamrecyclingfoam recyclingfoam number 6Styrofoam