EC Elite Creations — Eco-friendly handmade | ecelitecreations.com
The triangle on the base of a container is a material datasheet in one digit — here is what each code means at the workbench.
The resin identification code is a number from 1 to 7 moulded into plastic packaging, usually inside a triangle of chasing arrows on the base. It exists for sorting at recycling facilities, but the same digit tells a crafter what the material is, how it behaves under a knife and whether warm water can reshape it.
Code 1 is PET, the drink-bottle polymer. Its craft superpower is a glass transition at about 70–80 °C: a dip in water near 70 °C turns the wall leathery enough to roll a rim or square a shoulder by hand, and the new shape sets as it cools. Code 1 is also accepted by most kerbside collections, so offcuts never become landfill by default.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
Code 2 is HDPE — milk jugs and detergent bottles. It does not heat-shape as willingly as PET, but it cuts cleanly, sands well and shrugs off moisture, which makes it the right stock for garden scoops and outdoor pieces. Code 5 is PP, the yogurt-tub polymer: tough, slightly flexible and very hard to snap, ideal for trays and organisers that get knocked around.
Codes 3 (PVC), 4 (LDPE) and 6 (PS) have no place in heat-shaping on a home bench, and code 7 is a catch-all covering mixed and layered plastics whose behaviour is unpredictable. The safe rule: an unknown polymer never meets warm water or a blade. Sticking to codes 1, 2 and 5 also keeps re-disposal simple, because those are the codes most kerbside rounds accept.
Once you can read the code, the next step is the build: the planter walkthrough uses a code-1 bottle and every number on this page, and the flute guide covers the cardboard half of the bin.
Further reading