You must have been to the supermarket, right? Have you ever noticed that almost all food and beverage packaging there is made of plastic? Even when buying snacks and drinks from street vendors, most of the packaging is also made of plastic.
The use of plastic is still very common in Indonesia. Plastics are used to package various products, ranging from food containers, drink bottles, ready-to-eat food, to beauty products. Devi Kurniati Homan, in her article "Symbols to Support Information Systems for Plastic Food and Beverage Packaging Design" in the Humaniora journal in 2011, mentioned that there are seven numbered recycling logos to distinguish plastic types and their respective uses.
Here are the 7 types of plastic and their uses:
PETE or PET is a type of plastic that has good protection against water, air, and moisture. This plastic is transparent, thin, and generally for single use. Do not use PET plastic for hot water or direct sunlight exposure as it can release carcinogenic substances. PET plastic is commonly used for bottles, glasses, and bowls.
HDPE is a rigid, strong, hard, opaque plastic that withstands high temperatures, is easy to recycle, and resists chemicals and moisture. Although safe for food and beverages, it is still recommended for single use due to the potential release of antimony trioxide compounds. This plastic is commonly found in containers for milk, juice, soda, detergent, shampoo, and cleaning fluids.
PVC or V is a plastic that is stable and resistant to chemicals, weather influences, flow, and electrical properties. However, PVC is the most difficult type of plastic to recycle. This plastic is usually used for bottles of cleaning fluids, soap, shampoo, cable wraps, plastic pipes, and children's toys.
LDPE is made from petroleum and has good resistance to chemical reactions, making it safe for wrapping food and beverages. LDPE is elastic, strong, translucent, flexible, and has protection against water vapor. This plastic can be reused but is better recycled after single use. Commonly used for transparent plastic bags, shopping bags, plastic wraps, or drink bottles.
Polypropylene is a type of plastic that is resistant to chemicals, strong, and has a high melting point, making it suitable for food and beverage products. PP plastic is usually used for drinking bottles, medicine containers, yogurt containers, plastic straws, tape, and plastic ropes. This plastic is considered the best for food and beverage packaging.
Polystyrene is a plastic that is light, cheap, and has rigid, brittle, and opaque properties. PS plastic is difficult to recycle and is not recommended for food or beverage packaging. It is usually used in styrofoam, egg containers, plastic cutlery, foam packaging, and building materials.
This type of plastic does not fall into the previous six classifications. Some plastics in this category include:
So, those are the 7 types of plastic you need to know. I hope this information is useful in choosing the right plastic packaging materials. See you next time!
