How to Recycle HDPE Plastic (bags, Milk Jugs, Bottle Caps, ETC) : 9 Steps

Plastic it's all around us, we cant get rid of it, so why not recycle it? In this Instructable I teach you how to recycle HDPE plastic.

Materials:

-HDPE
-Wax paper
-An oven
-Mold
-Heatproof tray

Step 1: Find HPDE Logos.

The most common place you will find the HPDE logo is on plastic bags milk jugs and bottle caps.

Step 2: Sort Your Bags.

Biggest bag on bottom smallest bag on top.

Step 3: Fold It to Your Size

Flod your bags to whatever size you like. You could also cut it.

Step 4: Preparing It.

Lay some wax paper on a heatproof tray then put put your plastic on it.

Step 5: Baking It!!!

Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit if you go any higher your plastic will decompose. You can also set it for 10 minutes.

Step 6: Molding.

After you take it out of the oven you will notice that it's soft an shrunken you can now stick it in a mold and wait for it to dry.

Step 7: Done!!! :-)

After you take it out of the mold it is ready to make stuff with. It might not be pretty but its durable! :-)

Step 8: No Mold?

Its OK, you can let it dry freeform. ;-)

Step 9:

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10 Comments

FrankenPC.

7 years ago on Introduction

One thing you can do with melted HDPE is melt it with hot paraffin wax. Pour it into block molds and you can machine it. When you buy the stuff professionally, it's called machinable wax. It's expensive to buy, so it's worth it to make your own.

People who use CNC milling machines use it to do test runs. It's great because if an accident happens with the setup, you won't damage your cutting bits as easily.