Plastics vary greatly in their composition, and with it their ability to be recycled. In the UK, plastic containers and other common products now often include a recycling symbol with a number associated with it, known as an SPI Code. This code provides information on the plastic's biodegradability.
Safety Signs and other printed signage materials may not display SPI codes so unless you have access to the suppliers data-sheets it can be tricky to know what printed signage materials can be recycled and what cannot.
A little about Plastic Recycling Codes...
1. PET or PETE
PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) is a common plastic often used for drinks bottles as it is inexpensive, light, and possible to recycle by most curbside programmes (as long as it has been cleaned or rinsed). It poses a low risk of leaching breakdown.PET plastics are recycled into furniture, carpet furnishings, and fiber for clothing products.
2. HDPE
HDPE (high density polyethylene) is a versatile plastic and used for many applications, especially when it comes to food and packaging. Because of its internal structure HDPE is much stronger than PET and can be reused safely. Recycled HDPE can be made into plastic fencing, plastic decking and lumber alternatives, picnic tables, drainage pipes, pens, and bottles.
3. PVC or V
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and V (vinyl) is tough and weathers well, one of the oldest types of plastics. PVC is cheap so it's found in plenty of products and packaging from bottles to windows, credit cards to printed signage! PVC and V can rarely be recycled but it is accepted by some organisations. If you need to dispose of either material, best to ask your local waste management as there are specialized programs that recycle PVC into flooring, paneling and industrial products.
4. LDPE
LDPE (low density polyethylene) is a flexible plastic with many applications. A very clean and safe plastic, LDPE is used for alot of plastic bags, also found in household items like cling film. Until recently, it hasn't been accepted through most recycling programs, but more are beginning to accept LDPE plastics. Recycled LDPE is made into such items as furniture, bubble wrap, rubbish bin bags, dispatch envelopes, panelling.
5. PP
PP (polypropylene) has a higher melting point than other plastics, so often chosen for hot drink containers. It is a hard clean plastic that as mentioned can withstand high temperatures. While it can be recycled, it’s thrown away more often. When recycled it’s turned into heavy-duty items like battery cables, ice scrapers, bicycle racks, bins, pallets. Many more curbside and recycling programs are accepting PP plastics.
6. PS
PS (polystyrene) can be made into hard or foam products, in case of the latter it is popularly known as the trademark Styrofoam. PS is cheap and easy to create to often found in beverage cups, insulation, packing materials, egg cartons and disposable dinnerware. The material was long on environmentalists' hit lists for dispersing widely across the landscape, and for being notoriously difficult to recycle. Most places still don't accept it in foam forms because it's constitution is 97'ish % air - but it can be recycled into egg cartons, rulers, foam packaing, take-away containers.
7. Miscellaneous (other)
A wide variety of plastic resins that don't fit into the other 6 categories are classed into #7. Despite their inclusion in popular items such as computer casings, nylon string ropes and materials, sunglasses, CD's, baby bottles, these plastics are dangerous as they contain the toxic chemical bisphenol A or BPA. Unfortunatly they are very hard to recycle as they don’t break down easily. When recycling plants do accept it - Plastic #7 is often recycled into plastic wood/lumbar replacement products and other specialised products.
Common Printed Signage Materials
Rigid Plastic
Rigid Plastic Signs are typically made from 1-1.5mm Polypropylene or PVC plastic materials... although there are many varients available.
Can you Recycle Rigid Plastic Signs?
Self Adhesive Vinyl
Self Adhesive Vinyl Stickers (PVC) are a thin flexible vinyl plastic material with adhesive backing. PVC was discovered through the polymerization of the monomer vinyl chloride (VCM). Not all sticker materials or adhesives are the same, but those that are designed for outdoor environments (like Safety Signs in a PVC Vinyl Material) will be waterproof and weatherproof. Self Adhesive PVC Stickers provide a low-cost sign material solution which is easy to print high quality graphics onto, it can be cut into various shapes, and easily affixed without the need for tools.
Can you Recycle Self Adhesive Vinyl Stickers?
Stickers aren’t generally recyclable because the adhesives on the Vinyl plastic interfere with recycling machine process, and sticker coatings such as Silicon, PET as well as polypropylene plastic resins (which help make them shiny and weatherproof) each has a different recycling requirement - making them a costly and difficult job to recycle.
Correx - Fluted Plastic
Correx is a cost effective lightweight, weatherproof, corrugated polypropylene sign board material. Correx is broadly considered a temporary signage material and is ideal for external signage that needs to withstand the weather - think Real Estate Signs, Event Parking signage, Construction fence signs etc. Correx Fluted Plastic Board is a cheap and effective solution for external signage that doesn't need to last years.
Can you Recycle Correx Sign Boards?
Yes. Correx Fluted Plastic Boards are classed as PP5. A growing number of curbside recycling schemes and commercial waste companies will accept and recycle the material, alongside many businesses which focus on reusing the correx material. Once recycled, correx boards are often turned into rakes, bins, battery cables, pallets, trays and more items.
Dibond - Aluminium Composite
Aluminium Composite Material (also commonly known by the brand, Dibond) It’s made from two thin coil-coated aluminium sheets bonded to a non-aluminium core (polyethylene or foam resin). It's a go-to for many types of external siange and provides a well printed contemporary finish - is weatherproof and tends not to suffer from rust or theft for scrap metal. Very durable, it is ideal for indoor or outdoor signage and is often used for Hoarding boards and signs requiring more strength than rigid plastic signs can offer.
Can you Recycle Dibond Signs?
Yes - Both the outer aluminium sheets and internal polyethylene core (HDPE 2 - as above) can be recycled in the UK. A technical procedure (Whats known as a Plastics Dry Separation System) separates and processes the raw materials contained in Dibond meaning it is fully recyclable. Compared to pure aluminium, Dibond shows a notably better life cycle assessment according to ISO 14040. In terms of a "longer-term signage material" (over the likes of correx or foam which are more suited to temporary signage), Dibond is considered an eco-friendly Recycleable Signage Material.
Foamex - Foam Board
Foamex & Palight are popular brand names of a PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) Foam Board Material. Foamed PVC sheets consist of a middle layer of foamed PVC in between two denser outer layers. Thanks to the foamed layer, these sheets are typically twice as light as hard PVC sheets. Available in a range of thickness's - it is rigid and durable whilst still being lightweight and flexible. The fine cell structure and the fact that it comes in numerous colors and thicknesses make it a popular choice for professional digital sign painting.
Can you Recycle Foamex Foam Boards?
Yes. Foamex Foam Boards are made from PVC which is a type of plastic that can be recycled. Local waste authorities will be able to advise where Foam Board signs can be taken for recycling. They are typically processed and made into items such as panelling, plastic decking or flooring materials and more.
Zintec - Sheet Metal
Can you Recycle Zintec Metal Signs?
