a study on concrete using waste plastic as ... study on concrete...iii tensile strength. curing ages...

24
A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS AGGREGATES ROHAYA BINTI ABD WAHAB This Thesis is Purpose To Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak For Fulfillment of the Requirements for Bestowal The Degree of Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Civil Engineering) 2008

Upload: others

Post on 01-Aug-2021

12 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS

AGGREGATES

ROHAYA BINTI ABD WAHAB

This Thesis is Purpose To

Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

For Fulfillment of the Requirements for Bestowal

The Degree of Bachelor of Engineering with Honours

(Civil Engineering)

2008

Page 2: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK

BORANG PENGESAHAN

JUDUL: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS AGGREGATES

SESI PENGAJIAN: 2008-2009

Saya ROHAYA BINTI ABD WAHAB

(HURUF BESAR)

mengaku membenarkan tesis * ini disimpan di Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik,

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:

1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

2. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat

salinan untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja.

3. Membuat pendigitan untuk membangunkan Pangkalan Data Kandungan Tempatan.

4. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat

salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi pengajian tinggi.

5. ** Sila tandakan ( √ ) di kotak yang berkenaan

SULIT (Mengandungi maklumat yang berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan

Malaysia seperti yang termaktub di dalam AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972).

TERHAD (Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan oleh

organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan).

TIDAK TERHAD

Disahkan oleh

___________________________ ____________________________

(TANDATANGAN PENULIS) (TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)

Alamat Tetap: 1195-1 Kg. Baru, DR. DELSYE TEO

24200 Kemasek, (Nama Penyelia)

Kemaman, Terengganu

Tarikh: _____________ Tarikh: ____________

Catatan: * Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Sarjana dan

Sarjana Muda.

** Jika tesis ini SULIT atau TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak

berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh tesis

ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai SULIT atau TERHAD.

Page 3: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

Final Year Project Report below:

Title : A Study on Concrete Using Waste Plastic as Aggregates

Author : Rohaya Binti Abd Wahab

Matric No. : 15119

Has been read and certified by:

__________________________ ________________________

Dr. Delsye Teo Date

Supervisor

Page 4: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

‘In the name of ALLAH S.W.T, Most Gracious, Most Merciful’

Thanks to ALLAH s.w.t for giving me the strength ad

health to complete this final year project successfully. Without

Your blessing this project and other planning would never run

smooth. There are a lot of people that I would like to thank when

I completed this final year project. Their support and

encouragement cannot be compared to anything in this world.

First at all, I would like to express my gratitude and

respect to my project supervisor Dr. Delsye Teo for her advice

make improvement to complete the writing report totally,

guidance, supervision and also understanding. Secondly, I would

like to thanks all staff, technician especially Mr. Adha

B.Abd.Wahab for his cooperation to me while completing my project

at the concrete lab.

I would like to thank the rest of my friend whom are

share the same supervisor, Yong Pei Cheng and Mazila Abdull

Mutalib for their encouragement and help while completing this

Page 5: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

ii

final year project. Also not forgot, my thanks to my friends

especially Yvonne Lynn Walter, Syazie Nordzaima and Ariqa Adilda

and also to my housemates for their support in completing this

project. Last but not least, a lots of thanks, I wish to my

beloved person especially to my mom, Patimah Bt. Jusoh and my

dad, Abd Wahab B. Taib, and to all my siblings. Your kindness

shall be rewarded by God

ABSTRACT

In Malaysia, most of plastics waste is abandoned and not recycled. This

situation causes serious problems such as wastage of natural resources and

environmental pollution. Solid waste management is one of the major

environmental concerns in the world. In fact wide variety of waste materials can

be utilized as inert in cement matrix. In this research, bottle plastics are used as

plastics waste as fine aggregates. The aim of this work is to study the workability

and strength of plastics waste as the replacement of fine aggregate in concrete.

This study involved 3 tests to determine the competence of reusing waste plastic

in the production of concrete. Waste plastic was used as a partial replacement for

sand by 0%, 10%, 15%, and 20% with concrete mixtures. These tests include

performing slump, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength. 24 cubes

were molded for compressive strength and 24 cylinders were cast for splitting

Page 6: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

iii

tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were

applied in this work. This study insures that reusing waste plastic as a sand-

substitution aggregate in concrete gives a good approach to reduce the cost of

materials and solve some of the solid waste problems posed by plastics.

ABSTRAK

Di Malaysia, kebanyakkan bahan-bahan buangan plastik dibiarkan

terbengkalai dan tidak dikitar semula. Keadaan ini menyebabkan pelbagai

masalah serius berlaku seperti pembaziran umpama sumber asli dan pencemaran

alam sekitar. Pengurusan bahan buangan adalah salah satu yang penting

berkaitan dengan persekitaran di dunia ini. Sebenarnya, pelbagai jenis bahan

buangan boleh menjadi seperti bahan lengai atau agregat dalam matriks simen.

Dalam penyelidikan ini, bahan buangan plastik dari plastik botol digunakan

sebagai plastik buangan sebagai agregat halus Matlamat penyelidikan ini adalah

untuk mengkaji tahap kebolehkerjaan dan kekuatan bahan plastik buangan

sebagai pengganti agregat halus dalam konkrit. Dalam pembelajaran ini

mengandungi 3 ujian untuk menentukan kecekapan dalam penghasilan konkrit.

Bahan plastik yang digunakan untuk digantikan sebagai pasir dalam campuran

Page 7: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

iv

konkrit adalah sebanyak 0%, 10%, 15% and 20%. Ujian ini adalah termasuk

melakukan slump, kekuatan dimampatkan dan kekuatan direngangkan. 24 acuan

kiub untuk kekuatan dimampatkan dan 24 acuan silinder untuk kekuatan

direngangkan. Dalam kerja ini, masa untuk dicuring adalah 7, 14 dan 28 hari

untuk campuran konkrit. Pembelajaran ini adalah untuk memastikan penggunaan

balik buangan plastik sebagai gantian pasir sebagai agregat dalam konkrit

memberikan pendekatan yang bagus untuk mengurangkan kos bahan dan dalam

menyelesaikan sedikit masalah bahan buangan terutamanya dari plastik.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE

Acknowledgement i

Abstract ii

Abstrak iii

Table of content iv

List of Tables vii

List of Figures viii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 General 1

1.2 Objectives 4

1.3 Significance Of Study 4

Page 8: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

v

1.4 Scope Of Study 6

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction 7

2.2 Plastics 10

2.2.1 Types of Plastics 11

2.2.2 Benefits/ Advantages of Plastics 13

2.2.3 Disadvantages of Plastics 14

2.2.4 Facts about Plastics 15

2.3 Framework for Plastic Waste Management 18

2.4 Factors Influencing Strength 20

2.5 Previous Research on Concrete with Waste Plastic 22

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction 26

3.2 Research of Methodology 27

3.3 Material Used

3.3.1 Cement 28

3.3.2 Water 28

3.3.3 Sand 28

Page 9: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

vi

3.3.4 Granite 29

3.3.5 Waste Plastics 30

3.4 Mixing 31

3.5 Casting 33

3.6 Curing 35

3.7 Procedures

3.7.1 Slump Test 37

3.7.2 Compressive Strength Test 40

3.7.3 Splitting Tensile Strength Test 42

CHAPTER 4 RESULT, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 Introduction 44

4.2 Slump Test 45

4.3 Compressive Strength 48

4.4 Splitting Tensile Strength 53

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 General 57

5.2 Conclusions 58

5.3 Recommendations 61

REFERENCES 62

Page 10: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

vii

APPENDIX A 67

APPENDIX B 71

APPENDIX C 75

LIST OF TABLES

TABLES PAGE

2.2 Waste Plastic Concrete Mixtures 22

3.1 Grading Limits for the Fine Aggregates 29

3.2 Grading Limits for the Coarse Aggregates 30

4.1 Waste Plastic Concrete Mixtures and Slump Test Results 45

4.2 Compressive Strength Test Results 48

4.3 Splitting Tensile Strength Results 53

Page 11: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

viii

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURES PAGE

2.1 Plastic Waste Management Operation System 19

2.2 Effect of Cement Fineness on the Development

Of Concrete Strength 21

2.3 Slump of Waste Plastic Concrete 23

2.4 Result of Compressive Strength 24

3.1 Sample of Waste Plastic 31

3.2 Mixing of Concrete 33

3.3 Mould for Sampling (100mm x100mm) 34

3.4 Mould for Sampling (cylinder, length=204mm, d=100mm) 34

3.5 Curing Process 36

3.6 Apparatus for Workability Measurement 37

Page 12: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

ix

3.7 Steps for the Slump Test 39

3.8 Cubes Tested 40

3.9 Digital Compression Machine 41

3.10 Cylinder Cubes 42

3.11 Splitting Tensile Strength Test 43

4.1 Slump of Waste Plastic Concrete 46

4.2 Compressive strength 49

4.3 Compressive Strength versus Waste Plastic Percentage 51

4.4 Splitting Tensile Strength 54

4.5 Splitting Tensile Strength versus Waste Plastic Percentage 55

Page 13: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 General

Following a normal growth in population, the amount and type of waste

materials have increased accordingly. Many of the non-decaying waste materials

will remain in the environment for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The

non-decaying waste materials cause a waste disposal crisis, thereby contributing

to the environmental problems. The problem of waste accumulation exists

worldwide, specifically in the densely populated areas. Most of these materials

are left as stockpiles, landfill material or illegally dumped in selected areas.

The use of plastic materials and glass in a number of civil engineering

applications has been investigated through a large number of research studies.

These have been conducted to examine the possibility of using plastics in various

Page 14: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

2

civil engineering projects in the construction field (Chanbane et al., 1999; Rindl,

1998; Shayan et al., 1999).

The productive use of waste material represents a means of alleviating some

of the problems of solid waste management (Davis and Cornwell, 1998). The

reuse of wastes is important from different points of view. It helps to save and

sustain natural resources that are not replenished, it decreases the pollution of the

environment and it also helps to save and recycle energy production processes.

Wastes and industrial by-products should be considered as potentially valuable

resources merely awaiting appropriate treatment and application. Plastic wastes

are among these wastes; their disposal has harmful effects on the environment

due to their long biodegradation period, and therefore one of the logical methods

for reduction of their negative effects is the application of these materials in other

industries (Hassani et al., 2005).

Plastics have become an inseparable and integral part of our lives. The

amount of plastics consumed annually has been growing steadily. Its low density,

strength, user friendly designs, fabrication capabilities, long life, light weight,

and low cost are the factors behind such phenomenal growth. Plastics have been

used in packaging, automotive and industrial applications, medical delivery

systems, artificial implants, other healthcare applications, water desalination,

land/soil conservation, food prevention, preservation and distribution of food,

housing, communication materials, security systems, and other uses. With such

Page 15: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

3

large and varying applications, plastics contribute to an ever increasing volume

in the solid waste stream.

In addition to reducing the amount of plastics waste requiring disposal,

recycling plastic can have several other advantages. Plastic wastes are very

visible as they contribute to a large volume of the total solid wastes. Precisely

because of their large visibility, plastic wastes (and particularly non-sustainable

plastic products) have been viewed as a serious solid waste problem.

There is significant interest the development of concrete

with plastics waste. Recycling plastics waste is effective for

environmental conservation and economical advantages. Therefore,

the most common bottle plastics were collected from the landfill

and environment to be included in concrete as an aggregate.

A basic experimental study on the characterization of

plastics waste is suitable to replace as fine aggregate and the

effects in the physical and mechanical properties of concrete

containing plastics waste was carried out. The principal target

of the experimental program was to determine the contribution of

the waste aggregate types to the improvement of the strength

behavior of the confined concrete.

Page 16: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

4

1.2 Objectives

The main objectives of this study are:

1. To obtain a suitable mix for natural concrete and concrete with waste

plastics with the required strength and workability.

2. To determine the workability, compressive strength and splitting tensile

strength characteristics of concrete with waste plastics.

3. To compare the workability and strength for concrete with and without

waste plastic.

1.3 Significance of Study

Solid wastes in Malaysia do not through any formal processing

activities. However in 1993, recycling programme has been

launched in 23 Local Authorities and the recycling activities are

being carried out of these areas to varying extents. The major

Page 17: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

5

recyclable items include paper, cardboard, bottles, metal and

plastics. There is a great potential for resource recovery as is

evident from the presence of scavenging activities on some

landfill sites and at collection points. Apart from recycling, no

other formal processing activity is being carried out. As

recycling helps in reducing waste and it is inline with the

concept of sustainable development, it has the potential of

becoming one of the national tools in combating problems related

to managing of solid waste [Ministry of Housing and Local

Government Malaysia, 2000].

Besides that, the environmental and economic benefits from the reuse of

recycled waste glasses in cement and concrete production can also be very

significant depending on the end uses and production scale. The reuse of waste

plastic in concrete production has many benefits:

Cuts waste disposal costs, which are likely to rise due to landfill tax.

Conserves the environment by saving large amount of primary raw

materials each year.

Extends the life of our landfill sites, helping to conserve the countryside.

Page 18: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

6

Saves a significant amount of energy and reduces the amount of CO2,

NOx, and other air pollutants emitted from the manufacturer cement

clinker when ground glass powder used as a cement replacement.

Increases public awareness of the problem of waste and benefits of

recycling.

Offers many alternative uses for recycled glass based products, without

compromising on either cost or quality.

1.4 Scope of Study

This study is determined the workability and compressive strength

characteristics of concrete with waste plastics. For this study, the wastes plastics

used are plastic bottles. In this research, plastics waste can be

collected from the bottle plastics only. The plastics waste to be

used replace as fine aggregate in concrete.

For concrete mixtures, each mixture consisted of sand, cement, aggregates

and water. These mixtures were of 0% waste plastics. For waste plastic concrete

mixtures, these mixtures are presented corresponding to the 10%, 15% and 20%

addition of waste plastic as sand replacement, respectively.

Page 19: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

7

This study involved 3 tests to determine the competence of reusing waste

plastic in the production of concrete. These tests include performing slump,

compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength. 24 cubes were molded for

compressive strength and 24 cylinders were cast for splitting tensile strength.

Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this

work.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

Concrete plays an important role in the beneficial use of these materials in

construction. Although some of these materials can be beneficially incorporated

Page 20: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

8

in concrete, both as part of the cementations binder phase or as aggregates, it is

important to realize that not all waste materials are suitable for such use (Anon.,

2003).

In construction, concrete is a composite building material made from the

combination of aggregate and cement binder. The most common form of

concrete is Portland cement concrete, which consists of mineral aggregate

(generally gravel and sand), Portland cement and water. Contrary to common

belief, concrete does not solidify from drying after mixing and placement.

Instead, the cement hydrates, gluing the other components together and

eventually creating a stone-like material.

During hydration and hardening, concrete needs to develop certain physical

and chemical properties, among others, mechanical strength, low permeability to

ingress of moisture, and chemical and volume stability.

Concrete contains numerous flaws and micro cracks. The rapid propagation

of micro cracks under an applied load is considered responsible for the low

tensile strength of concrete. It is reasonable to assume that the tensile strength as

well as the flexural strength of concrete can be substantially increased by

introducing closely spaced fibers. These fibers would arrest the propagation of

micro cracks, thus delaying the onset of tensile cracks and increasing the tensile

strength of the material (Yin and Hsu., 1995).

Page 21: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

9

For structural lightweight concrete, it made with rotary kiln produced

structural lightweight aggregate solves weight and durability problems in

buildings and exposed structures. Structural lightweight concrete has strengths

comparable to normal weight concrete, yet is typically 25% to 35% lighter.

Structural lightweight concrete offers design flexibility and substantial cost

savings by providing less dead load, improved seismic structural response,

longer spans, better fire ratings, thinner sections, decreased story height, smaller

size structural members, less reinforcing steel, and lower foundations costs. The

excellent durability performance of structural lightweight concrete made with

expanded shale, clay or slate structural lightweight aggregate is result of the

ceramic nature of the aggregate, and its exceptional bond to and elastic

compatibility with the cementations matrix.

Lightweight concretes can either be Lightweight Aggregate concrete,

Foamed concrete or Autoclaved Aerated concrete (AAC). Such lightweight

concrete are often used in house construction. The required properties of the

lightweight concrete will have a bearing on the best type of lightweight

aggregate to use. If little structural requirement, but high thermal insulation

properties are needed, then a light, weak aggregate can be used. This will result

in relatively low strength concrete.

Lightweight aggregate concretes can however be used for structural

applications, with strengths equivalent to normal weight concrete. The benefits

of using lightweight aggregate concrete include reduction in dead loads making

Page 22: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

10

savings in foundations and reinforcement, improved thermal properties,

improved fire resistance, savings in transporting and handling pre-cast units on

site and reduction in formwork and propping.

2.2 Plastics

Plastic wastes are among these wastes, their disposal has harmful effects on

the environment due to their long biodegradation period, and therefore one of the

logical methods for reduction of their negative effects is the application of these

materials in other industries (Hassani et al., 2005).

Plastics have become an inseparable and integral part of our lives. The

amount of plastics consumed annually has been growing steadily. Its low density,

strength, user-friendly designs, fabrication capabilities, long life, light weight,

and low cost are the factors behind such phenomenal growth. Plastics have been

used in packaging, automotive and industrial applications, medical delivery

systems, artificial implants, other healthcare applications, water desalination,

land/soil conservation, flood prevention, preservation and distribution of food,

housing, communication materials, security systems, and other uses. With such

Page 23: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

11

large and varying applications, plastics contribute to an ever increasing volume

in the solid waste stream.

2.2.1 Types of plastics

Plastics can be separated into two types. The first type is thermoplastic,

which can be melted for recycling in the plastic industry. These plastics are

polyethylene, polypropylene, polyoxymethylene, polytetrafluorethylene,

polyamide and polyethyleneterephthalate. The second type is thermosetting

plastic. This plastic cannot be melted by heating because the molecular chains

are bonded firmly with meshed cross links. These plastic types are known as

phenolic, melamine, unsaturated polyester, epoxy resin, silicone, and

polyurethane. At present, these plastic wastes are disposed by either burning or

burying. However, these processes are costly. If the thermosetting plastic waste

can be reused, the pollution that is caused by the burning process as well as the

cost of these waste management processes can be reduced.

Page 24: A STUDY ON CONCRETE USING WASTE PLASTIC AS ... Study on Concrete...iii tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. This

12

There are about 50 different groups of plastics, with hundreds of different

varieties. All types of plastic are recyclable. To make sorting and thus recycling

easier, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking

code to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastic. These types

and their most common uses are:

PET Polyethylene terephthalate - Fizzy drink bottles and

oven-ready meal trays.

HDPE High-density polyethylene - Bottles for milk and

washing-up liquids.

PVC Polyvinyl chloride - Food trays, cling film, bottles for

squash, mineral water and shampoo.

LDPE Low density polyethylene - Carrier bags and bin liners.

PP Polypropylene - Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal

trays.

PS Polystyrene - Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays,

hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic

cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and

toys.