Applications for Recycled Plastic Caps
Plastic caps are primarily made from polypropylene (PP) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) which can be used for a variety of applications. As detailed in The Recycling Journey of a Plastic Cap, if plastic caps are left on bottles and containers, they are collected and baled at the MRF, then sold to plastic recyclers to process into flakes or pellets. An important step in that process is separating the cap material from the bottle material in the float/sink tank. The PP (#5) and HDPE (#2) resin flakes or pellets produced from plastic caps are then sold to manufacturers to make the types of items listed below.
Automative Parts
consoles, small components
Rigid Packaging
buckets, closures, paint cans, crates
Agricultural
seed trays, pots
Flooring
carpets, rugs
Outdoor Furniture
chairs, benches, tables
The chart below, developed by Moore Recycling Associates, is a comprehensive plastics recycling quick reference tool. It outlines which Resin Identification Codes (RIC) represent each resin, common products made from each resin, as well as common products each of the recycled resins are made into.
