UGANDA STANDARD  
  US 786
First Edition
2007-09-08
 
 
Reference numbe r
US 786: 2008
 © UNBS 2008 
  
Plastics — Codes for resin identification on plastics container  
 US 786: 2008 
ii                © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations 
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2008  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, in cluding photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala  
Uganda 
Tel: 256 414 505 995 
Fax: 256 414 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  US 786:2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved                iii 
 Contents Page 
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................iv  
1 Scope ......................................................................................................................................................1  
2 Definitions ..............................................................................................................................................1  
3 Symbols (and abbreviated terms) ........................................................................................................2  
4 Requirements .........................................................................................................................................2  
4.1 General requirements ...........................................................................................................................2  
4.2 Labelling requirement ...........................................................................................................................2  
5 Guidelines for coding ............................................................................................................................3  
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................................6  
 US 786: 2008 
iv                © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved Foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry  of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda.  UNBS is mandated to co-ordinate the 
elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex A limentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agr eements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a gi ven field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academician s, manufacturers, governme nt and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committ ee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council. 
Committee membership 
The following organisations were represented on the Technical Committee UNBS/TC 5, Chemicals and 
Environment Standards in the preparation of this standard: 
• Consumer Education Trust (CONSENT) 
• Government Analytical Laboratory 
• Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MFPED) 
• Nile Plastics 
• Plastics recycling industries 
• Uganda Consumer Protection Association 
• Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
• Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) US 786:2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved                v 
 Introduction 
Plastic waste is one of the main components in municipal  solid waste (MSW). It constitutes about 15% to 20% 
by weight and around one-third by volume in the wa ste stream. Compared with other recyclable materials 
(such as paper, metals and aluminium cans), the recyc ling and recovery rates of plastic waste in Uganda are 
fairly low.  
To facilitate the development of a su stainable plastic waste recycling indust ry appropriate to local conditions, 
measures under the Wast e Reduction Framework Plan are developed to promote and support the current 
recycling industry. Recycling of waste materials is pr eferable to incinerating or landfilling those materials 
because recycling conserves valuable resources, sa ves energy in the manufacturing process and extends the 
life of disposal facilities, Increased recycling is necessary because it will lead to r eduction of the solid waste 
stream and plastics have been shown to be recyclable.  
One of the barriers to increased recycli ng of plastics is the necessity of keeping the various types of plastic 
separate, based on the resin from which they are made, thus a need to develop a coding system that can be 
used to label plastic containers so as to identify the type of resin from which they are made. This standard 
therefore is intended to facilitate t he recycling of plastic containers by  requiring that these containers be 
labelled according to resin type. 
 UGANDA STANDARD US 786: 2008
 
© UNBS 2007 – All rights reserved                1 
 Plastics — Codes for resin identification on plastics containers 
1 Scope 
This Uganda Standard provides the codes for identifying t he resin content of plastics containers used by the 
public and to facilitate sorting as prerequisites fo r successful plastic recovery and recycling.  
The code is not intended to be a guarantee to consum ers that a given item bearing the code will be readily 
accepted for recycling. Users of the code  are encouraged to adhere to the guidelines. 
2 Definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
2.1 
biodegradable 
substances that will decay relatively quickly as a re sult of the action of micro organisms and break down 
elements that are recycled naturally 
2.2 
degradable 
able to undergo physical and chemical decomposition or degraded in any way into component parts within 
360 days under exposure to the elements 
2.3 
label 
molded, imprinted, or raised symbol on a plastic product, rigid plastic container or plastic bottle 
2.4 
container 
object such as a box, jar, bag, or bottle including a wrapper film  that is used to hold something, especially 
when its being stored, transported or wrapped 
2.5 
plastic 
any synthetic material made from polymerisation of organic compounds and additives that can be molded in 
many different forms for use 
2.6 
plastic product 
product made of synthetic material from pol ymerisation of organic compounds and additives 
2.7 
plastic container 
an object made of a synthetic material that is intended for holding something 
2.8 
recycle 
processing used or waste material so that can be used again US 786: 2008 
2                © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved 2.9 
recyclable 
suitable or adapted for recycling 
3 Symbols (and abbreviated terms) 
D     degradable 
HDPE     high density polyethylene 
LDPE     low density polyethylene 
PETE (PET)    polyethylene terephthalate 
PP     polypropylene 
PS     p o l y s t y r e n e  
V (PVC)     v i n y l  
OTHER     multilayer 
NOTE Where other is Nylon (polyamide), ABS, PC, PMMA, PU, phenolics 
4 Requirements 
4.1 General  
4.1.1 The code shall confirm the type of resin in the products. 
4.1.2  The coding system shall offer a means of identifying the resin material of plastics containers used by 
the public.  
4.1.3 The plastic material coded shall be of resins:  
a) polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE);  
b) high-density polyethylene (HDPE);  
c) polyvinyl chloride (PVC or V);  
d) low-density polyethylene (LDPE);  
e) polypropylene (PP); and  
f) polystyrene (PS).  
Each of the resin types is represented by a number  under the coding system as specified under clause 4.3 
below.  
4.1.4 The coding system shall include a seventh code, ident ified as "other" but specified. The use of this 
code indicates that the product in question is made of a resin other than the six listed above, or is made of 
more than one resin used in combination.  
4.2 Labelling requirement 
Any plastic container/product shall be labelled with  a code identifying the appropriate resin type used to 
produce the structure of t he container. The code shall consist of a number placed within three triangulated 
arrows and a letter placed below the triangle of arrows.  US 786:2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved                3 
 The triangulated arrows shall be equilateral, formed by th ree arrows with the apex of each point of the triangle 
at the midpoint of each arrow, rounded with a short radius.  
The pointer (arrowhead) of each arrow shall be at the mi dpoint of each side of the triangle with a short gap 
separating the pointer from t he base of the adjacent arrow.  
The triangle, formed by the three arrows curved at t heir midpoints, shall depict a clockwise path around the 
code number. The numbers and letters used shall be as follows: 
• 1 = PETE/PET(polyethylene terephthalate); 
• 2 = HDPE (high density polyethylene); 
• 3 = V/PVC (vinyl); 
• 4 = LDPE (low density polyethylene); 
• 5 = PP (polypropylene); 
• 6 = PS (polystyrene); and 
• 7 = Other [specified as either Nylon (polyamide), ABS, PC, PMMA, PU, phenolics]. 
4.3 Guidelines for coding 
4.3.1 General  
The following are general guidelines for coding: 
a) the code shall be used on plastic containers and pl astic products solely to identify resin material; 
b) the code shall appear on the container, and shall be feasible; 
c) the design of the code shall not  be modified (the resin acronym in the code shall not be replaced and 
other types of chasing arrows shall not be used); and 
d) there shall not be any recy clability or other environmental claims in  close proximity to the code, even if 
such claims are properly qualified. Specifically, do not use the term "recyclable" in proximity to the 
code.  
4.3.2 Identification codes, properties and applications US 786: 2008 
4                © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved Table 1 — Plastic types, identificati on codes, properties and applications
Type of plastic material Identification code Properties Packaging applications 
PET / PETE Clarity  • Mineral water bottles  
Polyethylene terephthalate Toughness • 2 litre soda bottles 
Barrier to gas 
and moisture • Cooking oil bottles  
 • Powder detergent jars 
Heat resistance  
• Juice bottles 
Resistance to grease/oil 
• Sports drink bottles 
• Peanut butter jars 
• Ovenable food trays 
• Vinegar bottles 
HDPE Rigidity • Detergent jerricans and 
bottles  
High Density Polyethylene Strength  
• Bleach jerricans and bottles Toughness 
• Cosmetics  Water barrier  
• Lubricants Chemical resistance  
• Milk containers 
Ease of forming • Rigid pipe 
Low cost  • Buckets 
Permeable to gas • Basins 
• Milk crates Natural milky white colour 
• Beer crates 
• “Crinkly” shopping bags  
• Plastic flower pots  
• Bottle caps 
PVC Clarity/Transparency • Floor tiles 
Polyvinyl chloride or vinyl (V) • Wire and cable insulation 
Strength  
• Garden hoses 
Toughness   • Electrical conduits 
Resistance to lubricants • Blood bags 
• Surgical gloves  Non flammability 
• Medical tubing Can be solvent welded 
• Bottles for disinfectants 
Electrical insulation • Shoe soles and uppers 
• Water pipes and fittings  
• Carpet backing 
• Window frames 
• Wall cladding 
• Outdoor furniture 
• Shrink wrap US 786:2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved                5 
 Bags for LDPE Strength  
Low density polyethylene Toughness • Dry cleaning 
Ease of 
processing  • Groceries  
 • Retail  
Flexibility 
• Frozen foods 
Moisture barrier 
• Trash cans 
Low melting point allows heat sealing • Bread  
• Squeezable bottles  
• Polyethylene sheets and 
films  
• Wire and cable insulation 
PP Hard but flexible • Crisp bags 
Poly propylene Waxy surface  • Drinking straws 
Resistant to heat • Hinged lunch boxes 
 Translucence • Margarine tubs 
• Yoghurt containers 
• Medicine bottles 
• Car battery cases 
• Brooms and brushes 
• Bottle caps 
• PP bags 
PS Inexpensive  • Packaging pellets 
Polystyrene Hardness  • Clear coffee / Tea cups  
Can be blown (expanded) • Clam shell take away 
containers  
• Plastic cutlery 
• Video tape cases/ CD 
cases 
• Meat trays  
• Protective packing for 
computers and electronics  
• Egg trays 
Other plastics including:  Not available in sufficient quantities for recycling  
• Nylon (polyamide) 
• ABS 
 • PC 
• PMMA 
• PU 
• Phenolics  
 
 
 
 US 786: 2008 
6                © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved Bibliography 
[1] FDUS ISO 472, Plastics — Vocabulary   
[2] FDUS ISO 1087, Terminology — Vocabulary  
[3] FDUS ISO 1043-1, Plastics — Symbols and abbreviated terms — Part 1: Basic polymers and their 
special characteristics 
[5] FDUS ISO 1043-2, Plastics — Symbols and abbr eviated terms — Part 2: Filler and reinforcement 
materials 
[5] FDUS ISO 1043-3, Plastics — Symbols and abbreviated terms — Part 3: Plasticizers 
[6] FDUS’ ISO 1043-4, Plastics — Symbols and abbreviated terms — Part 4: Flame retardants 
[7] FDUS ISO 11469, Plastics — Generic identification and marking of plastic products 
 US 786:2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved                7 
 Certification marking 
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be  marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licens ed under the certification ma rk scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control a nd testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda Nationa l Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 
 US 786: 2008 
 
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© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved