![Mobius Loop](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/mobius.gif) Mobius Loop
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The symbol you are asking about is called the mobius loop - three arrows forming a continuous loop, means recycling. A circle with a dark background and white arrows indicates that the package contains recycled material. A light symbol, white arrows on a white background, means that the package itself is recyclable.
Resin Identification Codes:
The resin coding system was introduced in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI). This coding system seen on plastic bottles, containers and packaging indicates the type of plastic resin that was used to make the item. Consumers can use these codes in order to determine which items can be recycled.
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SAMPLE PRODUCT |
PROPERTIES |
RECYCLES INTO... |
![PETE, Mobius 1](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/PETE1.gif) |
2-litre soft drink and juice bottle |
holds carbonated beverages, transparent |
T-shirts, carpeting, pillow stuffing, blinders |
![HDPE, Mobius 2](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/HDPE2.gif) |
bleach bottle, milk jugs, detergent or oil bottles |
hard and rigid, chemical resistant, easily coloured |
new detergent and oil bottles, binders, fencing, plastic lumber |
![PVC, Mobius 3](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/PVC3.gif) |
siding, piping, credit cards |
resistant to sunlight and cold temperatures |
siding, pipes, car parts, irrigation pipes, traffic cones, sign posts, other building materials |
![LDPE, Mobius 4](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/LDPE4.gif) |
plastic grocery and garbage bags, stretch wrap, bread and zipper bags |
flexible, strong, soft, waxy feel, lightweight |
new shopping bags, grocery bags, garbage bags, plastic lumber |
![PP, Mobius 5](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/PP5.gif) |
margarine and dairy tubs, patio furniture, indoor-outdoor carpeting, car battery cases, apparel and personal care products such as toothbrushes and hairbrushes |
does not absorb moisture, high melting point, stiffens in thin sections |
car battery cases, car parts, milk crates, measuring cups |
![PS, Mobius 6](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/PS6.gif) |
meat tray, foam coffee cups, building insulation, protective foam packaging, TV housings, video and audio cassettes, egg cartons, clear take-out food containers and CD trays |
good insulator, can be clear, rigid, foamed |
desk supplies like rulers, CD trays, video cassette cases |
![Other, Mobius 7](https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20061210025051im_/http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/images/Issue26/OTHER7.gif) |
ketchup bottle, cheese packaging, bacon packaging |
made from a variety of different types of resin, excellent barrier, resistant to oxygen and grease, multi-layered materials |
picnic tables, park benches and fencing |
Recycling Facts
Products made from recycled materials require much less energy to manufacture. For example, die casting a part from recycled aluminum requires 95 per cent less energy than using primary metal. Saving energy means less carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere.
Recycling paper products such as newspapers and cardboard saves trees. The average Canadian family uses up to 12 trees every year in paper products. Most of this ends up in garbage dumps and landfill sites. Trees play an important role in regulating the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Saving trees helps stop global warming.
The average Canadian household throws out a tonne (1000 kg) of garbage every year. More than half of all solid waste collected in Canada is made up of consumer or household garbage. Reducing the amount of garbage ending up in landfill sites can have a positive effect on the amount of methane which is released into the atmosphere.
By composting kitchen waste, a family can greatly reduce their average waste total. Across the country, composting is gaining increased attention as an environmentally sound way to manage yard waste.
Composting turns organic waste into a superior soil conditioner or mulch suitable for most landscaping and gardening uses. For more information on composting, read EnviroZine's article Composting: Starting in your backyard. You can also find out how to build your own compost bin.
Environment Canada estimates that by 2005 there will be a fourfold increase in computer waste compared to 2000’s three million computers. To learn more about computer recycling, read EnviroZine's Q&A on What do you do with old computers and the parts that are obsolete or just a few years old but lack the latest capabilities?
Computer technology is advancing at a rapid pace leaving users with older and obsolete equipment more quickly than ever. Before you head for the dumpster, there are things you should know about clearing your home of an old computer in the most environmentally friendly way.
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