What Types of Plastic Bottles Are Available?

If you look inside your home right now, you'd find plastic bottles in your kitchen cabinet and refrigerator, on the kitchen counter and in your medicine cabinet. But do you know what you really have? Take a look at the types of plastic bottles used in storing and packing the food, drinks and other items you normally consume.

Polyethylene Terephthalate

• Otherwise known as #1 PET/PETE, this type of plastic is used for soda and water bottles and is safe for one-time use.

High and Low Density Polyethylene

• Also known as #2 HDPE, you'll find high density polyethylene in your refrigerator as milk bottles or on a counter dressed as a detergent bottle. This type can be safely re-used.

  Low density polyethylene (#4 LDPE) is used for squeezable bottles, like wash or dispensing bottles. #4 LDPE can also be safely re-used.

Polyethylene

• Otherwise known as #5 PP, you'll find this type of plastic in your medicine cabinet in medicine bottles or even in your kitchen as a ketchup bottle. You can safely re-use #5.

Polystyrene and Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride

• You'll sometimes find #6 PS on the bottom of your aspirin bottle. This type of plastic is not designed for re-use.

  Your window cleaner, cooking oil, and shampoo bottles contain non-reusable plastic #3 PVC/PV.

Other

• Plastic #7, categorized as "Other" to place plastics that don't fit the other six types, sells in the form of water and baby bottles. Bottles in this plastic form are potentially hazardous.

Most Common

• You'll find #1 PET/PETE and #2 HDPE in stores more than any other type of plastic bottles.