It has been known to utilize mechanical handling apparatus to supply labels to a container. Such apparatus has included a plastic label sheet feed supply, a drum upon which the label is secured and which moves the label into engagement with the outer surface of a container. The label adheres to the container and is subsequently wrapped around the container by rolling it along a fixed surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,416, for instance, shows such an apparatus, the label being glued to the container and its overlapped ends glued together by the use of a glue applicator assembly. Hot melt adhesives have been used to secure the labels to the container and to form a glued side seam when applied to the overlapped label ends.
Other adhesives, with accompanying drawbacks, have been used such as dextrines and other water-based adhesives, and pressure sensitive adhesives. For containers such as oriented plastic carbonated beverage bottles, pressure sensitive adhesives have not been commonly used.
The use of the hot melt adhesive (glue) has been messy and expensive, heat being required to heat the adhesive. There is a hazard of being exposed to possible burning from heaters used to heat the glue. In addition, such as in the case of an oriented plastic container, the label cannot be easily removed from the container and hence the body portion of the container is contaminated and cannot be readily recycled.