| Type 1 * | PETE Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) | Soda & water containers, some waterproof packaging. |
| Type 2 * | HDPE High-Density Polyethylene | Milk, detergent & oil bottles. Toys and plastic bags. |
| Type 3 | V Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) | Food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packages. |
| Type 4 | LDPE Low-Density Polyethylene | Many plastic bags. Shrink wrap, garment bags |
| Type 5 | PP Polypropylene | Refrigerated containers, some bags, most bottle tops, some carpets, some food wrap. |
| Type 6 | PS Polystyrene | Throwaway utensils, meat packing, protective packing. |
| Type 7 | OTHER Usually layered or mixed plastic. | No recycling potential - must be landfilled. |
*Types 1 and 2 are commonly recycled. Type 4 is less commonly recycled. The other types are generally not recycled, except perhaps in small test programs. Common plastics polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) do not have recycling numbers.
