Observing And Understanding The Meaning Of The Triangle Code Under The Plastic Cook

Plastic packaging is becoming a popular choice for carrying, storing and maintaining the quality of the freshness of the food and beverages you own. Plastic seems to be inseparable from the daily life of many people, especially the people of Indonesia.

From the use of crackle bags to eating or drinking containers made of plastic, all of these products have become popular choices because they are considered lighter and cheaper.

In addition, the use of plastic materials is often considered easier to use repeatedly. Not only that, the variety of shapes and colors that are quite attractive makes plastic materials in great demand.

Well, if there are many places to eat and plastic drinking bottles in your house. Then try to check the bottom. Usually there is an arrowed triangle logo with a code number 1 to 7 in it. In addition, there is also a letter code in it. This is the code for the plastic raw material used. Curious about what the codes in the plastic mean? Let's see below the information.

observing and understanding the meaning of the triangle code under the plastic cook

Code 1 with PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

The first code that you will be able to recognize from a plastic packaging used is code 1 with PET or PETE. For those of you who often find this mark on the plastic packaging you use, it is important to know what this code means.

If you use plastic packaging with the code PET 1 or PETE 1, this means that the plastic packaging you are using is made of polyethylene terephthalate. The characteristics of plastic packaging with this material are clear/clear, this material is not easily damaged or broken accompanied by a smooth surface.

In addition, the use of plastic with this material also allows you to be able to use it for hot and strong food or drinks. PETE plastic is also able to block oxygen along with water and carbon dioxide from going in and out of the packaging.

For this reason, plastic with this material is perfect for use as packaging for soft drinks (carbonated), mineral water, sports drinks, sauce holders and much more.

However, the disadvantage of plastic with this material is that plastic with the PETE label is safe to use. However, its use is for one time use only. Using PETE-labeled plastic over and over again may be dangerous.

This is because plastic with this label will fade with long-term use. Materials on plastic can also fade and dissolve into drinks. Not only that, the water from the bottle used will be potentially toxic because it contains DEHA in it. This toxin is a cause of liver problems, may be difficult to reproduce and is thought to be one of the triggers of cancer. So, it is very important to pay attention to the use of plastic with this one label, you should not take dangerous risks by using it repeatedly.

Code 2 with HDPE or PE-HD (High Density Polyethylene)

The next code on plastic packaging that you may often find is the code with HDPE 2 or PE-HD 2. This is a plastic packaging with the type of High Density polyethylene. This material is made from petroleum and this material can generally be used to make various types of plastic packaging which are often used for several needs.

HDPE has good resistance to chemicals. For this reason, plastic packaging made from this material is often used to make plastic bottles of milk or juice. Not only that, we may often find this material used for packaging shampoo, conditioner, detergent, cleaner, bleach, refillable water gallons and much more.

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In addition, for the use of materials from basic materials labeled HDPE, it is indeed safe to use it for more than one use. So that's it, if you often find this one label on the packaging of liquid soap or maybe shampoo. Then you will be able to use the bottle more than once.

Code 3 with PVC or V (Polyvinyl Chloride)

In addition to the two types of plastic based on the above, other materials that can also be used for plastic are often found in PVC 3 or V 3 labels. This material means Polyvinyl chloride. Where the nature of this plastic material tends to be more stable, strong and also weathered. This material also has good resistance to the chemicals used.

Flexible PVC plastic is used for making medical bags, shrink wrap is a plastic roll used to cover containers filled with food or raw materials or often used to wrap meat.

Meanwhile, for the more rigid PVC, this material is usually used to make building materials. Such as pipes, walls, window frames and much more.

However, unfortunately, the drawback of plastic labeled with PVC is that this material can pose a fairly serious health threat. Chemicals to make plastic bottles labeled with PVC are claimed to be cancer-causing and produce very high chlorine pollution.

Not only that, when used this material is also able to make the additives in plastic bottles released and humans become exposed as a result. That is why plastic materials from this material are not allowed to be used as materials for making household food or drinks.

Code 4 with LDPE or PE-LD (Low-density polyethylene)

You may often find plastic labels with the code LDPE 4 or PE-LD 4 on packages of cooking oil or maybe frozen foods. Yes, code 4 LDPE stands for low density polyethylene. This plastic packaging has a very good meaning for use in packaging oils, vegetables and materials that are acidic and basic.

This type of plastic is relatively tough, transparent in color and also seems more flexible. That is why we will often find this label on the plastic of frozen food packaging, fresh produce, newspapers, household waste, drink lids, paperboard coatings and much more.

Code 5 with PP (Polypropylene)

On some drinking bottles or places to eat you may easily find this one label. This type of packaging made from polypropylene is often used to store food, drink bottles and much more.

In addition, you may often find this plastic material in baby food containers, yogurt containers, food wrappers, medicine bottles, syrups and much more. Indeed, this plastic is the best type of plastic and is very suitable for use as a food and drink container.

In addition, the type is thicker, stronger and more durable. In some leading plastic brands such as Tupperware they also use plastic with this one label. This is because this type of plastic is durable and good to use.

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Even this type of plastic is indeed recommended for the use of household appliances that are used repeatedly. So, even though it is often used, plastic with this material will be safe to use.

Code 6 with PS (Polystyrene)

You will more often find plastic labeled with the PS 6 code on plastic made of Styrofoam. This type of plastic is widely used for packaging or containers on food that is used only once. The frequent use of plastic with a code or label on this one might make us wonder whether it is safe to use plastic from this one material?

Plastic packaging made from polystyrene is generally used in the manufacture of cups, plates, spoons, forks, bowls, plastic containers, yogurt bottles, styrofoam food containers and much more. However, the plastic of this material is quite dangerous so it is not recommended for use.

Because plastic with the PS type will be very difficult to recycle. In addition, the impact of using this type of plastic is a danger to health.

PS contains toxic ingredients that are thought to cause liver cancer and damage to parts of the nervous system. In addition, if this material comes into contact with hot food, oil or perhaps alcohol and acidic food, this can cause serious health problems. So, pay attention not to use plastic with this one label because maybe you won't feel the reaction in a short time but after frequent and long-term use, this can cause quite serious problems.

Code 7 with OTHER or O

Well, if you find a plastic bottle that you have labeled OTHER at the bottom right at the end of the bottle or maybe the bottom of the place to eat then this indicates the plastic material used does not contain all six of the above ingredients.

But there is no need to feel confused about this because basically there are four types of plastic that fall into this one type of plastic category. The plastics are polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile tyrene (SAN), nylon and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

Meanwhile, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, there are only two types of OTHER or other types of plastic that may be used, namely the SAN and ABS types, which can be used for food and beverage packaging materials.

Meanwhile, the use of PC material is prohibited because PC contains bisphenol A (BPA) which is suspected to cause health problems. These disorders include genetic damage, cancer, diabetes, obesity, reduced survival and many more.

Meanwhile, the impact on babies is that the use of PC plastic packaging will be able to inhibit their growth. Therefore, pay close attention to this problem so that the use of the wrong plastic packaging can harm your health.

Thus some information about the meaning of the triangle symbol on the bottom of the plastic packaging. Knowing this will hopefully help you understand the meaning of the code that is written on the plastic packaging. Thus, smart mothers and parents will be more careful in sorting out food packaging products used at home.