What is HDPE plastic?

Natural HDPE is a translucent type of plastic which allows you to see your product level but is matte in finish. It’s a lighter, durable and cost-effective alternative to glass. All types of HDPE offer good moisture and vapour barrier qualities and are chemically inert.

What does HDPE stand for?

High-density polyethylene, commonly shortened to HDPE, is a thermoplastic polymer sometimes called polythene when used for HDPE pipes. It's one of the most versatile plastics, with an outstanding tensile strength and large strength-to-density ratio. It’s used in a variety of packaging and commercial applications.

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What is HDPE plastic used for?

HDPE is an ideal material for food and beverage containers due to its lightweight and high-strength properties. This allows millions of products, such as milk and fresh juice, to be produced and transported economically.

Unaffected by common chemicals, solvents and acids, HDPE is also used for personal care products, laundry detergents, shampoo and conditioner, oils, cleaning products, car cleaning products, creams, lotions, soaps, paints and glue.

Commercially, HDPE is a type of plastic that offers a full range of marketing opportunities, with the option to print directly onto the material. Innovative blow moulding techniques offer a range of plastic bottle shapes that allow brands to stand out on the shelf.

As more recycled HDPE is introduced into the market, brands can also fulfil their green credentials without radically changing their designs.

The UV and impact-resistant properties of HDPE make it ideal for toy manufacturers who want to ensure durability and that their products' vibrant colours are not affected by the sun’s damaging and discolouring rays.

HDPE is also weather-resistant to mould, mildew, rotting, and naturally occurring chemicals found in soil, so it is often used to manufacture recycling bins and HDPE pipes.

Sustainability

HDPE plastic does not emit harmful fumes into the environment, making it the most environmentally stable plastic. Manufacturing HDPE plastics requires only a fraction of the energy required to produce steel from iron ore. Its strength-to-weight ratio allows manufacturers to transport more products with less packaging material, reducing fuel consumption.

Recycling

HDPE is non-biodegradable so it is imperative that containers are recycled and used again. It is accepted at most recycling centres across the globe and is collected in the UK via our council curbside programs. It is commercially recycled by thorough washing and re-melting into recycled granules which can be used for new products.

It is more cost efficient to produce recycled HDPE than it is to manufacture virgin plastic, so recycling can actually reduce the cost of HDPE products. Recycled HDPE is often used to make things like piping, plastic lumber and rope. It will often be a darker colour like brown or black to ensure consistency across the plastic.

HDPE is commonly recycled and has the number "2" as its resin identification code inside the universal recycling symbol. It can be made into rope, piping, toys and recycling bins!

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HDPE Packaging

At The Plastic Bottles Company, we stock a wide range of caps and accessories to complement our HDPE bottles. These include caps with a wad providing extra leak-proofing, child resistance for safety, tamper evidence, a twist top, flip top, disc top, and many more. HDPE bottles are also suitable for use with mini sprays, atomisers, sponge applicators, and droppers and are available in a variety of colours.

We have a number of bottles, trigger bottles, and jerrycans in our shop made from recycled HDPE, which makes them exempt from the plastic tax introduced in April 2022.

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