4 LDPE

How to read it

The number 4 in a triangle identifies the plastic an item is made from. California’s law on container coding lists the codes as a number inside a triangle with letters beneath: 1 PETE, 2 HDPE, 3 V, 4 LDPE, 5 PP, 6 PS and 7 OTHER, which includes multilayer materials. Recycle Now lists LDPE as used for plastic bags and wrapping.

Also searched as: plastic 4, recycling number 4.

What the number does and doesn’t mean

The code identifies the plastic. In the words of ASTM International, quoted by Oceana, it “does not imply that the article is recycled or that there are systems in place” to reclaim it. Under the US Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, a code printed conspicuously on the front of a package counts as a claim that it is recyclable, while a code embedded in the bottom of a container, without more, does not. California goes further: under its Senate Bill 343, the resin code may not be placed inside chasing arrows unless the container meets the state’s criteria for recyclability.

Differences by country or standard

In the UK, Recycle Now lists LDPE as recycled at specialist points rather than in household collections.