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WHICH PLASTIC IS THAT?

Low Density Polyethylene

Lesson 4: LDPE

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Loaf of bread in clear LDPE plastic bag
LDPE plastic bag of oranges

Need to know about a different plastic?

Click on the IRC code to see the lesson!

LDPE & LLDPE

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Low Density Polyethylene & Linear Low Density Polyethylene
3 full plastic garbage bags

The International Resin Code for LDPE & LLDPE  is

LDPE is strong and flexible, which makes it perfect for things like bubble wrap, cling film, and soft, stretchy plastic bags.

LDPE is sometimes confused with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), but LDPE is softer, clearer, and very much more flexible.​

LLDPE is a variation of LDPE, and is most commonly used to extend the shelf life of fresh foods

LDPE is 

  • Strong

  • Soft

  • Pliable

  • Naturally Transparent, but can be coloured

LDPE is used for

  • Trash Bags

  • Shrink wraps

  • Bubble wrap

  • Produce bags

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Pallet Wrap

Boxes on Pallet wrapped in LDPE plastic

Shrink Wrap

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Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap

These soft and pliable produce bags

LDPE plastic bag of oranges
Roll of LDPE plastic produce bags
Loaf of bread in clear LDPE plastic bag

But NOT these crackly sounding Shopping Bags. These are made from HDPE...

multi colored HDPE shopping bags

 > Insider's tip: You can tell the difference between LDPE and HDPE shopping bags by scrunching them up: the HDPE bags make a LOUD crackling sound!

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Still have questions about plastic types, or what to collect?

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