Rubber Information

Unlike other plastics, rubber is a naturally occurring plastic, though it can be synthetically produced. It has outstanding fire resistant properties, making it an excellent material for many different applications. Synthetic rubber has advantages over natural rubber: better aging and weathering, more resistance to oil, solvents, oxygen, ozone, and certain chemicals, and resilience over a wider temperature range. The advantages of natural rubber include buildup of heat from flexing and greater resistance to tearing when hot.

With an excellent moisture barrier, rubber could be a good choice for laboratory equipment where liquids will be in constant contact. Rubber comes in a variety of forms, and can therefore make up many different laboratory components. Both synthetic and natural rubber have advantages for the different products they can be used to manufacture.

Rubber does not have its own recycling code, but can be recycled into many other products such as playground equipment and flooring. Check with your local government to see if facilities exist. For more information regarding rubber recycling see the Plastic Container Recycling Page