If you must know, thermoplastic is one very common material we use daily. We can identify this as being the commonly used material for our water bottles, nylon stockings and even the PVC pipes used for our homes, as well as the baggie we let our kids take to school to store their lunch in. Thermoplastic packaging actually comes in several different types and to further educate you about them, here are some facts which you will find fun and interesting too.
The first on our trivia list is about the word plastic where though English its roots actually come from the Greek language. "Plastkos" is the Greek root word and it actually means moldable - one that is rather obvious about thermoplastics in that they come easy to mold the moment that heat is applied unto such polymers. The companies whose business is to manufacture things made from thermoplastics utilize thin sheets of plastic which they expose to heat high enough to make it "moldable" into several different products of varying shapes and sizes as well as the different types of thermoplastic packaging.
Some types of plastic are biodegradable, but this doesn't mean quite what you probably think it means. For many of us, the word biodegradable is used interchangeably with compostable, meaning it breaks down naturally and turns into compost. This is not quite true. Biodegradable plastics can be broken down, but only a few types actually compost down the organic substance known as humus. However thermoplastics are highly recyclable, so it is important that you place these items into your recycling bin.
Amongst plastic, the most common kind is a thermoplastic that is known as polyethylene. It is because of this particular type of plastic that your plastics bags and plastics bottles come into existence as millions of products are manufactured using it every year. Such polyethylene comes with various types with polymer names classified such as the PET or PETE which is the polyethylene terephthalate, the HDPE or high-density polyethylene and the LDPE or the low-density polyethylene. Although this kind of plastic is not compostable, people can help reduce its environmental impact by ensuring that they reach the recyclable bins.
Polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene are designated, like all other thermoplastics, with special resin identification codes. The codes for these two thermoplastics are a 1 and a 2, respectively. These two generally are the types of plastics that can be simply tossed into recycling bins and are accepted by most refuse and recycling companies in the United States. Some cities also accept thermoplastic with other resin codes.
Aside from the fact that recycling plastics help reduce landfill waste and supports the protection of marine and land animal habitats, you should know that there are other reasons which make it important. Much less energy is consumed in recycling thermoplastic products and thermoplastic packaging as opposed to the manufacture of plastic items starting from zero. Everyone should know this: that every water bottle you recycle is equals to the amount of energy for powering a 60-watt light bulb for hours - imagine the power of recycling a single bottle!
The first on our trivia list is about the word plastic where though English its roots actually come from the Greek language. "Plastkos" is the Greek root word and it actually means moldable - one that is rather obvious about thermoplastics in that they come easy to mold the moment that heat is applied unto such polymers. The companies whose business is to manufacture things made from thermoplastics utilize thin sheets of plastic which they expose to heat high enough to make it "moldable" into several different products of varying shapes and sizes as well as the different types of thermoplastic packaging.
Some types of plastic are biodegradable, but this doesn't mean quite what you probably think it means. For many of us, the word biodegradable is used interchangeably with compostable, meaning it breaks down naturally and turns into compost. This is not quite true. Biodegradable plastics can be broken down, but only a few types actually compost down the organic substance known as humus. However thermoplastics are highly recyclable, so it is important that you place these items into your recycling bin.
Amongst plastic, the most common kind is a thermoplastic that is known as polyethylene. It is because of this particular type of plastic that your plastics bags and plastics bottles come into existence as millions of products are manufactured using it every year. Such polyethylene comes with various types with polymer names classified such as the PET or PETE which is the polyethylene terephthalate, the HDPE or high-density polyethylene and the LDPE or the low-density polyethylene. Although this kind of plastic is not compostable, people can help reduce its environmental impact by ensuring that they reach the recyclable bins.
Polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene are designated, like all other thermoplastics, with special resin identification codes. The codes for these two thermoplastics are a 1 and a 2, respectively. These two generally are the types of plastics that can be simply tossed into recycling bins and are accepted by most refuse and recycling companies in the United States. Some cities also accept thermoplastic with other resin codes.
Aside from the fact that recycling plastics help reduce landfill waste and supports the protection of marine and land animal habitats, you should know that there are other reasons which make it important. Much less energy is consumed in recycling thermoplastic products and thermoplastic packaging as opposed to the manufacture of plastic items starting from zero. Everyone should know this: that every water bottle you recycle is equals to the amount of energy for powering a 60-watt light bulb for hours - imagine the power of recycling a single bottle!
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys blogging about how stuff is made. For further details regarding custom packaging solutions or to find out more about thermoform packaging, please go to the Indepak site now.
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