Waste Prevention Information Exchange

Plastic

Also see Building Design and Construction, and Recycling in this directory.

Note: Styrofoam is a brand of expanded polystyrene. The term expanded polystyrene is used in this page.

CIWMB Programs and Services

• Packaging, Plastic
  • Packaging, Plastic Resins
• Plastic Alternatives, "Bio"degradable Plastic and Paper Products—It would actually be more accurate to call these degradable, not biodegradable, because manufacturers have developed some products that decompose by exposure to light or moisture, and do not necessarily require microbes for decomposition.  However biodegradable products are included in this list.
• Plastics Information and Resources

CIWMB Publications

CIWMB has either printed or Web publications on this topic that you can find at either our publication search page or our website search page. However, not all of these publications apply to "waste prevention" in the most literal use of that term. CIWMB publications that do apply to waste prevention include:

• Ridged Plastic Containers—Addresses what is and isn’t a rigid plastic packaging container (RPPC) who must comply with the RPPC law and how compliance is determined.

Other Resources

Documents

• Paper vs. Plastic Bags—This study by Franklin and Associates helps answer the question. Provided by the Institute for Lifecycle Energy Analysis. 

Websites

• Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Recycling Sites—Use this list from the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers to find recyclers of expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam).
• Plastic Film Recycling—The American Plastics Council and Moore Recycling Associates have developed a Web site in California to facilitate the recovery of clean dry grocery and retail bags, and polyethylene film such as stretch wrap and shrink wrap. The web site provides consumers, municipalities and businesses in California an opportunity to identify grocery stores and other recovery facility locations that collect plastic bags and film for recycling. Additional highlights of the web site include a film identification section, information on how to set up a collection program, a markets database, and tools to determine the cost-effectiveness of an onsite plastic film recovery program.
• Plastic from Plants Called Costly—The process to make plastic from corn consumes 19 times more electricity than does making plastic from petroleum. Environmental News Network, Wednesday, August 25, 1999.
• PlasticResource.com—From the American Plastics Council.
• Plastic Resin Codes—Have you ever wondered what symbols, such asandmean? They are called SPI codes. SPI stands for Society of the Plastics Industry.
  • Explanation of codes from the American Plastics Council.
  • CIWMB Packaging, Plastic
    • CIWMB Packaging, Plastic Resins
• Recycled Plastics Markets Database—For people who want to buy recycled plastic, or who want to sell plastic to be recycled.
• Recycled Plastic Products Directory—The U.S. and Canadian Recycled Plastic Products Directory assists private and public sector buyers in locating products made with or packaged in recycled plastic.  From the American Plastics Council and the Environment and Plastics Industry Council of Canada.
• reusablebags.com—Information about plastic grocery bags and alternatives.

Last updated: May 05, 2008