We’ve had a lot of parent inquiries of what to do with their collections of toxic bottles and sippy cups now that they’ve made the decision to switch to BPA Free. We thank these parents for not only choosing a safer alternative, but also making the right choice for our planet. We’ve provide a list of which plastics can be recycled and how to go about it.
There are indeed many different kinds of plastics, but not all can be recycled and with the ones that can, it’s important to categorize them together. If not, the recycled plastic won’t melt properly and will make it difficult to be reused for consumers again.
Some of us are fortunate to have curbside pickup, others are taking that extra, appreciated step of bringing their loads to their local recycling location. The first step in learning what plastics can be recycled in your specific area, please call your local recycling center, or if unknown, your local town or city offices can help.
The American Plastics Council developed a standard code to help sort plastics for the recycling process. This code is identified by three arrows that point in a clockwise direction and create a triangle, generally located on the bottom of the plastic container in question. Each triangle has a number in the center that identifies that plastic’s type and below this is a combination of letters that correspond to the number located inside that triangle.
Listed below are the seven different types of plastics, as stated at The American Plastics Council website:
1. PET or PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate). This is one of the most frequently recycled plastics by consumers. Containers marked with a “1″ include some soft drink bottles, water bottles, plastic peanut butter jars, plastic wrap, and salad dressing bottles.
2. HDPE (High-density polyethylene). This type of recyclable plastic, marked with a “2,” is also frequently recycled by consumers. Plastics included in this category include some plastic milk cartons, juice bottles, shampoo bottles, and liquid detergent containers.
3. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride). This type of recyclable plastic, marked by a “3,” is less commonly accepted at local recycling centers. It includes some clear food packages, liquid detergent containers, and many construction applications including some traffic cones.
4. LDPE (Low density polyethylene). Marked with a “4,” this type of recyclable plastic is used in some bread and frozen food bags, trash cans, and garbage can liners.
5. PP (Polypropylene). Another plastic commonly used in the automobile and construction industries, plastics marked with a “5″ that are also recyclable include some car battery casings, oil funnels, and plastic drinking straws.
6. PS (Polystyrene). Also an uncommon consumer type of recyclable plastic, this type of plastic, marked by a “6″ includes some packing foam, plastic cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys.
7. Other. Some types of plastic marked as “other” or with a “7″ can not be recycled as they commonly are made with a combination of the previous six types of plastic, or with a type of plastic other than the six listed above. Containers marked with a “7″ that are recyclable plastic include some 3 to 5 gallon reusable water bottles.
I hope you found this helpful and, once again, the best way to find out which of the seven types of plastics you can start recycling in your area is to call your local recycling center or municipal offices.
