Plastics explained
Material |
Common name |
Origin |
Regarded as bio degradable? |
How long would it take to biodegrade in landfill |
Used for clothing? |
Plastic code *Recyclable? **Reusable? |
Common usage |
|
Cotton |
Plant |
Yes |
3-6 months |
Yes |
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Wool, silk |
Animal |
Yes |
1-5 years |
Yes |
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Bamboo, jute, hemp |
Plant |
Yes |
6 months -5 years |
Yes |
||||
Regenerated protein fibre |
Corn, Soy, milk |
Yes |
6 months -5 years |
Yes |
||||
Regenerated cellulose fibre |
Rayon, Viscose, Lyocell |
Plant (Wood pulp) |
Yes |
3-12 months |
Yes |
|||
Cellulose Acetate |
CA |
Plant (Wood pulp) |
No |
Several years |
Yes |
|||
Polyethylene terephthalate |
PET |
polyester |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
Yes |
1 Yes No |
|
Polyamide |
PA |
Nylon |
Crude oil, |
No |
Hundreds of years |
Yes |
||
Polyurethane fibre |
Elastane, Lycra, Spandex |
Crude ol |
no |
Hundreds of years |
Yes |
|||
Polyvinyl chloride |
PVC |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
Yes |
3 No No |
Flexible plastic eg food wrapping, window frames |
|
Acrylic |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
Yes |
||||
High-density Polyethylene |
HDPE |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
No |
2 Yes Yes |
Hard plastic Eg toys, waste bins |
|
Low-density Polyethylene |
LDPE |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
No |
4 No Yes |
Shrink wrap, grocery bags |
|
Polypropylene |
PP |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
No |
5 Sometimes Sometimes |
Moisture and grease proof packaging |
|
Polystyrene |
PS |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
No |
6 No No |
Lightweight containers and fillers |
|
Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene |
ABS |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
No |
|||
Polytetrafluoroethylene |
PTFE |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
No |
|||
Polycarbonate of bisphenol A |
PC |
Polycarbonate |
Crude oil |
No |
Hundreds of years |
No |
||
Polymethyl methacrylate |
PMMA |
Crude oil |
no |
Hundreds of years |
No |
Stephanie Matthews 2018
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