Happy Families “Material properties” Card game Amanda Griffiths Brian Russell

T-shirt Easily broken down into fibres

Cheese Made from milk Food products cannot be recycled

Toy duck Made from blow-moulding polypropylene High impact strength Thermoplastic Range of colours Flexible Easily re-melted to form new material

Playing cards Made from laminated cardboard Easily printed on Wipe clean Durable Easily cut Too difficult to separate the paper fibres from the plastic lamination

Scooter Made from aluminium Lightweight Does not rust Lightweight Malleable Aluminium is easily re-melted once separated from plastic components

Skateboard deck Made from plywood Strong Flexible Suitable for lots of finishes The glue layers in plywood make it unrealistic to recycle the wood fibres

Oven-proof dish Made from earthenware clay then glazed Heat resistant Non-absorbent when glazed Easily moulded Once fired in a kiln ceramics cannot be recycled

Crockery Once fired in a kiln ceramics cannot be recycled

Cycling shorts Made from Elastane (Lycra) Stretchy Washable Textile fibres can be broken down and reused

Pizza box Made from corrugated cardboard Strong & light Easily printed Good insulator Cheap Easy to cut out Easily broken down so the fibres can be reused to produce low grade card

Carrier bag Made from low density polyethylene (polythene) Lightweight Flexible Easily re-melted to form new material

Garden seat Made from teak Very durable Hardwood Very resistant to moisture Wood fibres can be broken down to form wood pulp although rarely done

Food can Made from tinplate (tin plated steel) Resistant to corrosion Easy to shape and bend Malleable Once melted down the steel part can be recycled

Jumper Soft Warm Absorbent Crease resistant Made from knitted wool yarn Wool fibres are easily re-used for making into other products

Omelette Made from eggs Protein Set when heated Add colour and flavour to other foods Food products cannot be recycled

Photo frame Made from die-cast pewter (which is mainly tin) Low melting point Easy to cast Can be polished Resistant to corrosion Easily re-melted to form new products

Drinks bottle Made from PET (Polyethylene Terepthalate) Easy to blow- mould Flexible Durable Thermoplastic Easily re-melted to form new material

Candle stick Made from wrought iron Very strong Ferrous metal Will rust unless coated Easily re-melted to form new material

Kitchen unit Made from melamine coated chipboard Cheap Manufactured board Needs coating to become durable Glue content and the protective coating makes it difficult to recycle

Drinks carton Aluminium foil-coated card Easy to print on Easy to manufacture Cheap Water-proof Too difficult to separate the paper fibres from the aluminium lamination