What Do Recycling Symbols NO.1 on Plastics Mean?
Full Name: Polyethylene Terehthalate
Other abbreviations: PETE, PETP (obsolete)
Type: Amorphous or Semicrystalline Thermopolymer (depending on processing)
Patented: 1941
Family: Polyester (linear)
Plastics have common abbreviations. Can you imagine asking “can this polyethylene terephthalate container go in the recycling bin?”. Never mind writing the plastic name on the bottom of a product, small recyclable plastic parts would be nothing but words. And the recycling symbol, number and optional letters need to be machined into the mold, so full worlds would require additional cost. This is why plastics have pet names, in polyethylene terephthalate’s case, it’s coincidentally PET (or PETE).
PET is part of our daily life. It contains our beverages, our foods, and our cleaning chemicals. We find it in our clothing and other fibers in our surroundings. It’s a common material because it has great properties for the price and is actually used in recycled/down-cycled applications
Properties
Good strength
Impact resistance
Lightweight
Inexpensive
Can be processed using many methods
Good barrier properties (limits exchange of gases and fluids through material maintaining integrity of material content)
Does not affect taste of product
Can be processed to be crystal clear
Applications of PET
Originally used as a fiber
Cloths, rope, belts, cord etc.
Filaments for brushes, carpets, sports equipment
Beverage containers (water, cola, juice etc) because of excellent barrier
properties, almost monopoly the market
Transparent cleaning product containers
Semi-Crystalline PET can be used in frozen dinner trays
Thermoformed sheets
Photographic films
Sheets for food packages
Recycled applications
The availability of PET allows it to be a commonly down-cycled material. It is often converted into fiber for use in “polar fleece”, pillow filling and carpet materials. It can be recycled into bottles for non-food contact applications.
Other facts:
-PET crystallizes slowly so quickly cooling a part from melt temperature to below glass transition temperature allows the PET to solidify as an amorphous material, allowing for excellent transparency.
-PET is an excellent candidate for incineration as it’s structure is mostly carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with very minimal catalyst elements.