| The
confusion over what we can and cannot recycle continues to
confound consumers. Plastics are especially troublesome, as
different types of plastic require different processing to
be reformulated and re-used as raw material. Some municipalities
accept all types of plastic for recycling, while others only
accept jugs, containers and bottles with certain numbers stamped
on their bottoms.
Recycling by the Numbers
The symbol code we’re familiar with—a
single digit ranging from 1 to 7 and surrounded by a triangle
of arrows—was designed by The Society of the Plastics
Industry (SPI) in 1988 to allow consumers and recyclers to
differentiate types of plastics while providing a uniform
coding system for manufacturers.
The numbers, which 39 U.S. states now require
to be molded or imprinted on all eight-ounce to five-gallon
containers that can accept the half-inch minimum-size symbol,
identify the type of plastic. According to the American Plastics
Council, an industry trade group, the symbols also help recyclers
do their jobs more effectively.
Easy Plastics to Recycle
The easiest and most common plastics to recycle
are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) and are assigned
the number 1. Examples include soda and water bottles, medicine
containers, and many other common consumer product containers.
Once it has been processed by a recycling facility, PETE can
become fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags and life
jackets. It can also be used to make bean bags, rope, car
bumpers, tennis ball felt, combs, cassette tapes, sails for
boats, furniture and, of course, other plastic bottles.
Number 2 is reserved for high-density polyethylene
plastics. These include heavier containers that hold laundry
detergents and bleaches as well as milk, shampoo and motor
oil. Plastic labeled with the number 2 is often recycled into
toys, piping, plastic lumber and rope. Like plastic designated
number 1, it is widely accepted at recycling centers.
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly used in plastic
pipes, shower curtains, medical tubing, vinyl dashboards,
and even some baby bottle nipples, gets number 3. Like numbers
4 (wrapping films, grocery and sandwich bags, and other containers
made of low-density polyethylene) and 5 (polypropylene containers
used in Tupperware, among other products), few municipal recycling
centers will accept it due to its very low rate of recyclability.
Number 6 goes on polystyrene (Styrofoam)
items such as coffee cups, disposable cutlery, meat trays,
packing “peanuts” and insulation. It is widely
accepted because it can be reprocessed into many items, including
cassette tapes and rigid foam insulation.
Hardest Plastics to Recycle
Last, but far from least, are items crafted
from various combinations of the aforementioned plastics or
from unique plastic formulations not commonly used. Usually
imprinted with a number 7 or nothing at all, these plastics
are the most difficult to recycle and, as such, are seldom
collected or recycled. More ambitious consumers can feel free
to return such items to the product manufacturers to avoid
contributing to the local waste stream, and instead put the
burden on the makers to recycle or dispose of the items properly.
Waste
container | Dumpster
| Collapsable
Trash Cans |
Recycle
Different Types of Plastic
|
Recycling
in Phoenix |
Recycling
paper |
How
to recycle paper? |
