Plastic Containers

About Plastic Containers and Plastic Container Suppliers Including: Plastic Bins, Catch Basins, Plastic Boxes, Plastic Food Containers & Plastic Storage Containers.

From food to hazardous waste, plastic containers are used to hold, package and store just about anything. Many industries utilize what plastic container suppliers have to offer for shipping, storage, sanitation, preservation and presentation. Strong enough for stacking and moldable into space-saving shapes, plastic containers can maximize warehousing room and lower storage costs. The variety of plastic containers is matched only by the variety of their uses. Each function of the plastic container requires its own criteria for shape, size, color, type and quality of plastic. Plastic containers are important for industrial uses, as well as commercial products.
 
Many industries utilize the benefits of plastic containers. Cargo and shipping companies use plastic because of the reduced costs inherent in their use of light-weight plastic containers when compared to heavier shipping alternatives. Food-service businesses and their patrons depend on plastic containers to protect food against spoilage and contamination. Home products manufacturers use break-resistant, shatterproof and no-spill plastic bottles to cut down on injuries and clean-ups. Child-resistant plastic containers and leak-proof plastic bottles for medicines and chemicals provide safety for children and parents. Manufacturers who create hazardous by-products often depend on durable plastic containers to store and dispose of wastes. Medical facilities use plastic packaging because it offers the ability to protect tools and people against contamination and infection.
 
Plastic container suppliers may use composite materials if manufacturing and creating the plastic product. Materials such as glass minerals, carbon, graphite or other chopped fibers strengthen and reinforce the finished plastic container. The process of creating plastic containers varies greatly depending on the type of polymer used and the size and shape of the desired item. Plastic forms can be made via blow molding, much like glass, extruding and molding. The manufacturers of plastic containers often specialize in a few types of production processes and select finished items. A manufacturer of plastic buckets and drums often will often not produce plastic trays or bottles. Finding the appropriate manufacturer is as easy as knowing what you need.
 
It is important to always note the type of plastic when ordering from plastic container suppliers, as some are more durable and resistant than others. Look for the plastic’s temperature regulations, density and molding, as these can affect the type of materials that can be held in the container. EPA, FDA, DOT and HazMat regulations should be consulted when storing, shipping or packing organic or hazardous materials. The recycling of plastic is now more common and encouraged by multiple industries. While most plastic is recyclable, some are easier than others to reuse and breakdown for remanufacturing later.

Plastic Containers and Plastic Container Suppliers Image Provided by Myton Industries, Inc.	Plastic Containers and Plastic Container Suppliers Image Provided by Novapak Corporation

Plastic Containers and Plastic Container Suppliers Image Provided by Rahway Steel Drum Company, Inc.

Plastic Containers and Plastic Container Suppliers Image Provided by Patrick J. Kelly Drums, Inc.

Types of Plastic Containers

• Attached lid containers are containers with lids that are attached, usually by hinges, for product protection and to prevent loss of lid.
  
• Bins can be containers available in various sizes, usually large, for storage or to carry materials/products.
  
• Bottles are classified as containers that hold no more than 5 gallons, which have a narrow opening at the top with a neck or spout.
  
• Bottom-hinged containers have an opening on top and bottom. The bottom opening usually locks and unlocks for easy product removal.
  
• Buckets are available in hand held sizes and bulk sizes used for storage or transport of material or product or general use.
  
• Bulk containers are containers to hold, move and ship large quantities of product together.
  
• Catch basins are cisterns located at the ends of gutters.
  
• Drums are containers to hold bulk product, food, liquor, wine, water, parts and various other materials, available in various sizes. (http://www.steel-plastic-fibre-drums.com)
  
• Holding tanks are built similarly to a septic tank to contain wastewater until it can be removed for treatment and disposal.
  
• Hoppers are containers for short-term storage, designed so stored material can be easily discarded.
  
• Lockers are used for safe, private storage of items like clothes or valuables, used mainly in changing rooms, available in various sizes and styles.
  
• Nestable containers are containers that can fit together or inside one another for easy storage.
  
• Neutralization tanks are containers to collect and neutralize acidic and basic waste water for safe removal.
  
• Openhead containers have a cover or top that is removable.
  
• Overpack containers are for damaged drums and other leaking containers, usually containing hazardous material.
  
• Packaging containers are usually commercial in nature, sometimes custom designed for ease of use and presentation depending on the product contained.
  
• Plastic bins are storage boxes made out of various plastic materials.
  
• Plastic boxes are storage containers made from plastic materials.
  
• Plastic food containers are usually made of polypropylene and come in a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate different quantities of food.
  
• Plastic storage containers are stackable containers are used to store various goods.
  
• Reusable containers are containers that can be reprocessed for repeated uses.
  
• Shipping containers can be any container meeting standards for shipping related to the specific item being shipped.
  
• Stackable containers are containers that stack easily without causing damage to one another or the product, and sometimes may “lock” with surrounding containers.
  
• Storage containers are for meeting the needs and standards for storage related to the specific material/product being stored.
  
• Tanks are containers used for storage and transport and to dispense liquids usually in bulk or heavy quantities. (http://www.plastic-tanks.biz)
  
• Tighthead containers have attached, non-removable covers or tops.
  
• Tooling boxes are plastic cases with small compartments to store punches and dies, available in various sizes and capacities.
  
• Totes can be plastic baskets, usually with handles, to hold or carry products/materials.

Common Terms Related to Plastic Containers

Blow Mold – To make hollow objects by extruding plastic into a chamber that is blown outward to take the shape of the plastic container mold cavity.
 
British Thermal Unit (BTU) – The amount of heat necessary to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
 
Coextrusion – A manufacturing process in which plastic containers are blow-molded with walls containing two or more layers of different materials. This manufacturing process often uses recycled plastic materials.
 
Extrusion – The most common of the plastic container processing techniques, covering a vast range of applications in which plastic resins are melted, heated and pumped for plastic container processing.
 
HazMat – Hazardous materials. The Environmental Protection Agency has standards for plastics regarding the ability to handle various HazMat substances.
 
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Colored (Pigmented) – Often used for bleach, liquid detergents, motor oil and other household and automotive products. These plastic containers commonly bear the number "2" in the recycling triangle symbol on the bottom of many plastic storage containers.
 
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Natural (Non-pigmented) – Commonly used for plastic containers and plastic storage containers used to hold liquid dairy products, juice and other household products. These plastic containers usually bear the number "2" in the recycling triangle at the bottom of the plastic storage container.
 
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Wide – Natural and pigmented, these plastic containers are often used to store butter and other food products as plastic storage tubs, some medicine bottles and 5-gallon plastic buckets. These plastic containers usually display the number "2" in the recycling triangle symbol at the bottom of the plastic storage container.
 
Injection Mold – Under pressure, heated plastic granules are “injected” into a mold, where the molten plastic hardens into the designated plastic container shape.
 
In-line Fluorinated – A term that describes the chemical modification of the interior of HDPE plastic containers caused by fluorine gas as they are blown. This chemical reaction forms an inner barrier that withstands solvent-based chemicals, making the plastic containers suitable for the packaging of janitorial, industrial and consumer products.

ISO Container – Intermodal plastic shipping containers used to transport freight and designed for shipping and transportation by more than just one mode like ship and rail. Plastic shipping container sizes vary but typical sizes of these plastic containers are 20 feet and 40 feet; the standard width of ISO plastic containers is 8 feet, and the standard heights for ISO plastic containers are 8 feet 6 inches and 9 feet 6 inches.

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) – Used for plastic shrink-wrap, plastic bags, garment bags, dry cleaning bags and squeezable plastic food bottles.

Monomer – A comparatively simple compound that can react to form a polymer. The core element in plastic containers.
 
Polyethylene Teraphtalate (PET) Slim – Color and clear, these plastic containers are used to contain cosmetics, water, salad dressings and cleaners. These plastic containers usually bear number "1" in the recycling triangle at the bottom of of the plastic storage container.
 
Polymer – A compound, natural or synthetic, whose structure can be represented by a repeated small unit. Synthetic polymers are formed by condensation polymerization of monomers; some polymers are rubber, some plastics.

Polypropylene (PP) – Often used in plastic food containers designed for margarine and yogurt plastic containers, caps for plastic containers, and wrapping to replace cellophane on plastic storage containers like medicine bottles.

Polystyrene (PS) – Used for plastic containers such as egg cartons, fast food trays, disposable plastic silverware, cups and compact disc jackets.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – Used in plastic containers like food wrap, vegetable oil bottles and blister packaging.

Recycling – The cycle of actions by which discarded materials are collected, sorted, processed and transformed back into raw materials and then used in the production of new plastic containers.
 
Resin – Most resins are polymers, a class of solid or semi-solid organic products of natural or synthetic origin, of high molecular weight with no definite melting point.

Rigid Plastic Containers – Any formed plastic container or molded plastic container that retains its shape when full or empty. This classification of plastic containers does not include plastic storage bottles.
 
Rotational Molding – Hollow plastic container molds filled with powdered resin that swings the entire plastic container mold into a furnace that melts the powder, making it stick to the plastic container mold as it cools. The plastic container mold slowly rotates and water is used to cool the plastic container mold while the plastic hardens into a hollow part. 

Tare Weight – Weight of plastic containers when they are empty.
 
Thermoforming – A process of heating a thermoplastic sheet to an effective temperature and then forming it into a completed plastic container shape by means of heat or force.