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#2 HDPE (High-density polyethylene)*: milk bottles, cereal box liners and gro- cery /trash/retail bags. #3 PVC (Polyvinyl chloride): plastic food wrap, loose-leaf binders and plastic pipes. #4 LDPE (Low-density poly- ethylene): dry cleaning bags, produce bags, bread and sandwich bags, 6-pack rings. #5 PP (Polypropylene): medi- cine bottles, aerosol caps and drinking straws. Why are most plastics marked with a number inside a recy- cling symbol? Without giving you a scientific b a c k g r o u n d , these numbers affect how and where you can recycle plastics. Plastics are identified by numbers 1 through 7 : #1 PET Polyethylene terephthalate)*: soda bot- tles, oven-ready meal trays and water bottles. #6 PS compact disc jackets, packaging Styro- foam peanuts and plastic ta- bleware. #7 Other: three- and five- gallon reusable water bot- tles, certain kinds of food containers and Tupperware. *PET and HDPE are the most com- mon forms of plastic, so they are the easiest to find recycling locations. The Secret Code of Plastic Now that you know which types of plastics have numbers, write down the correct number for each type of plastic product shown below. Good luck! A) B) C) D) E) F) G) Answer Key A) 2 B) 6 C) 4 D) 3 E) 5 F) 1 G) 7