How Can Different Polymers Be Identified?
It seems at times that we are a society drowning in plastics. We buy a package of cookies that’s enclosed in plastic, then put it in a plastic bag to carry home. People who don’t recycle might open the cookies, stuff the plastic wrapping back into the plastic bag, and stuff that plastic bag into a plastic trash bag to be thrown away. Fortunately, many people do recycle, and more and more are becoming aware of methods for cutting down on the amount of plastic they use. There are movements underway that encourage people to invest in reusable cloth bags for shopping, or to return plastic shopping bags to a recycling center at the grocery store. Many communities offer recycling pickup, or have drop-off centers where residents can dispose of recyclable materials. Recycling, however, does not happen all that easily. Getting your recyclables to the curb or to the drop-off center is the easy part. Plastics are generally sorted by and recycled by type. There are seven types of plastic labeled f
