Plastic Packaging
Due to its light weight, durability and low cost of
production, plastics make up the majority, 53%, of all packaged goods, which
are materials used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and
presentation of goods. Plastics are used
to package all sorts of food products, pet food, consumer products, promotional
and retail products and are commonly used by the medical, food and consumer
good industries. They are used in
primary packaging, which is the wrapping or container handled by the consumer,
secondary packaging, which are larger cases or boxes used to group quantities
of goods for delivery, and transit packaging, which is used to group products
into larger loads for transport, loading and unloading. Most containers are made through plastic
injection molding, and plastic films such as shrink wrap are applied using heat
near the end of a product assembly line.
There are 6 main types of plastic resins used for packaging,
all of which are recyclable. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is used to make clear food jars and
beverage bottles. High Density
Polyethylene (HDPE) is stiff and can withstand different temperatures. It is used to make bottles for cosmetics,
shipping containers and cereal box liners. Shrink wrap, medical blood bags and rigid packaging such as clamshells
are made with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is tough, transparent and has a good
resistance to acids, bases and oils. It
produces bags for dry cleaning, garbage bags, and squeezable bottles. Polypropylene (PP) makes medicine bottles,
yogurt containers and takeout meal boxes. Finally, Polystyrene (PS), a plastic that can be rigid or foamed,
produces protective foam packaging for breakable products, egg cartons, and CD
cases.