The following blog post provides a more comprehensive comparison of LDPE and HDPE, outlining the similarities and differences between the two polyethylene variants. For example, both materials exhibit the following properties:. Some of the industries that commonly use both materials include:. This difference in polymer organization leads to distinct characteristics in each material. Compared to HDPE, it is more likely to crack under stress. HDPE is rigid and durable and offers greater chemical resistance.
Product Applications LDPE is used to make many thin, flexible products like plastic bags for dry-cleaning, newspapers, bread, frozen foods, fresh produce and garbage. Products Made with Recycled Content Recycled LDPE can be used to produce shipping envelopes, garbage can liners, floor tile, paneling, furniture, compost bins, trashcans, landscape timber and outdoor lumber, according to the ACC.
This can include:. This sort of plastic can be made into a number of different products and uses through polyethylene recycling. Here are some examples to give you a better understanding:. First, the film is collected, often from warehouses or farms, and then it is taken to a recycling facility.
One of the great challenges of recycling LDPE film is that because of its uses in agriculture, it is often contaminated, and must go through a proper cleaning and sorting process before it can be recycled.
This can become time, energy and financially inefficient. Once clean, the other challenge comes for the recycling machines. A general recycling machine would get LDPE film stuck in its teeth, causing damage to the machine and creating problems. On the other hand, special LDPE recycling machines can chew up the plastic into small pieces and then form them into pellets.
These pellets can be turned into a variety of things and are often mixed with a bit of virgin LDPE to improve their strength and reliability. Black bin bags, black agricultural film, or irrigation pipe are all likely to be made from recycled LDPE. Commonly recycled LDPE will be black because, with recycling plastics, it is easy to turn a clear plastic black, but impossible to turn a black plastic clear.
Rigid LDPE products bottles, containers, lids, caps, etc. But flexible LDPE bags and wraps are different. This includes bags for groceries, newspaper delivery, dry-cleaning, bread, produce, and so on, plus product overwraps, bubble wrap, and cereal box liners. A limited number of communities collect plastic bags and wraps at curbside. Check with your community. And recycling rates for bags and wraps are growing. So… what happens to all that LDPE collected for recycling?
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