CHAPTER 369. PLASTIC CONTAINERS
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
TITLE 5. SANITATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
SUBTITLE B. SOLID WASTE, TOXIC CHEMICALS, SEWAGE, LITTER, AND
WATER
CHAPTER 369. PLASTIC CONTAINERS
Sec. 369.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Commission" means the Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission.
(2) "Plastic" means a material made of polymeric organic
compounds and additives that can be shaped by flow.
(3) "Plastic bottle" means a plastic container that:
(A) has a neck smaller than the body of the container;
(B) is designed for a screw top, snap cap, or other closure; and
(C) has a capacity of not less than 16 fluid ounces or more than
five gallons.
(4) "Rigid plastic container" means a formed or molded
container, other than a plastic bottle, that:
(A) is intended for single use;
(B) is composed predominantly of plastic resin;
(C) has a relatively inflexible finite shape or form; and
(D) has a capacity of not less than eight ounces or more than
five gallons.
Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, Sec. 131, eff. Sept. 1,
1991. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 3, Sec.
1.043, eff. Aug. 12, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec.
11.120, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
Sec. 369.002. SYMBOLS FOR CERTAIN PLASTIC CONTAINERS. (a) A
person may not manufacture or distribute a plastic bottle or
rigid plastic container unless the appropriate symbol indicating
the plastic resin used to produce the bottle or container is
molded into or imprinted on the bottom or near the bottom of the
bottle or container.
(b) A plastic bottle or rigid plastic container with a base cup
or other component of a material different from the basic
material used in making the bottle or container shall bear the
symbol indicating its basic material.
(c) The symbols used under this section must consist of a number
placed within a triangle of arrows and of letters placed below
the triangle of arrows. The triangle must be equilateral, formed
by three arrows with the apex of each point of the triangle at
the midpoint of each arrow, rounded with a short radius. The
arrowhead of each arrow must be at the midpoint of each side of
the triangle with a short gap separating the arrowhead from the
base of the adjacent arrow. The triangle formed by the arrows
must depict a clockwise path around the number.
(d) The numbers, letters of the symbols, and the plastic resins
represented by the symbols are:
(1) 1 and PETE, representing polyethylene terephthalate;
(2) 2 and HDPE, representing high density polyethylene;
(3) 3 and V, representing vinyl;
(4) 4 and LDPE, representing low density polyethylene;
(5) 5 and PP, representing polypropylene;
(6) 6 and PS, representing polystyrene; and
(7) 7 and OTHER, representing all other resins, including
layered plastics of a combination of materials.
(e) The commission may approve the use of another nationally or
internationally recognized label coding system for
special-purpose plastic bottles or rigid plastic containers which
are components of motor vehicles in place of the symbols
described by Subsections (c) and (d).
(f) The commission shall:
(1) maintain a list of the symbols; and
(2) provide a copy of that list to any person on request.
Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, Sec. 131, eff. Sept. 1,
1991. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 99, Sec. 1, eff. May
7, 1993; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 11.121, eff. Sept. 1,
1995.
Sec. 369.003. PENALTY. (a) A person who violates Section
369.002(a) or (b) is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed
$500 for each act of violation.
(b) If it appears that a person has violated or is violating
Section 369.002, the attorney general or a district attorney,
criminal district attorney, or county attorney shall institute
and conduct a suit in the name of this state to recover the civil
penalty imposed under this section.
(c) A civil penalty recovered under this section shall be
deposited:
(1) in the state treasury if the attorney general brings the
suit; or
(2) in the general fund of the county in which the violation
occurred if a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or
county attorney brings the suit.
Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, Sec. 131, eff. Sept. 1,
1991.