The main plastic found in most household bottles, HDPE is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum. It is not a biodegradable material, and recycling is the best way to lower the impact of HDPE on the environment in both waste management and the protection of resources.
To produce virgin HDPE, 12 million btu is required in processing,
and the energy for material resource is 31 million btu.
HDPE can be used to make:
- Milk containers
- Tupperware
- Shampoo bottles
- Motor oil bottles
Once recycled, HDPE is turned into:
- Piping
- Plastic lumber
- Rope
- Toys
- Recycling/trash cans
Here is a full HDPE Life-Cycle Analysis Report for the American Chemistry Council...
