April 25, 2019
I thought I knew about recycling plastics, and I guess I know enough to get by. Still, there are some big no-noes, so pay attention. Before we get to the yeses and noes, however, let's make sure we're all on board when it comes to the simple stuff. You know about little numbers inside a triangle on the bottom of your plastic recyclables, right? We all know that. But did you know that number is called a resin identification code? I didn't.
If you want to know what should go straight into the recycling bin, look for the numbers 1, 2 and 5. Why? " . . . because we have great markets for them in the U.S.," according to Brent Bell of Waste Management. Items such as water and soda bottles, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, yogurt cups and butter tubs can be recycled without a second thought. If you're feeling ambitious, help out by rinsing them and removing labels.
On the other hand, items like squeezable bottles, plastic bags, meat trays, some clamshells and disposable plates and cups are problems. These items will have the numbers 4, 6 and 7 on them. Don't recycle them, sorting plants are going to send them to landfill if you do. Even worse are items with the no. 3 on them. This category includes cosmetics, some food wrap, blister packs and pipes. They're made of PVC. The chemical composition of PVC's cause them to contaminate batches of plastics which might otherwise be recyclable. Bottom line: keep PVC's out of your recycling bin.
Finally, don't every try to recycle plastic shopping bags, cling wrap or bubble wrap. They're so light weight they become airborne in sorting plants. Worse yet, they jam up the sorting machines. What's our motto? When in doubt, keep it out! You don't get any points for recycling things that shouldn't be recycled.
With thanks to The New York Times' "Climate Forward."
I thought I knew about recycling plastics, and I guess I know enough to get by. Still, there are some big no-noes, so pay attention. Before we get to the yeses and noes, however, let's make sure we're all on board when it comes to the simple stuff. You know about little numbers inside a triangle on the bottom of your plastic recyclables, right? We all know that. But did you know that number is called a resin identification code? I didn't.
If you want to know what should go straight into the recycling bin, look for the numbers 1, 2 and 5. Why? " . . . because we have great markets for them in the U.S.," according to Brent Bell of Waste Management. Items such as water and soda bottles, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, yogurt cups and butter tubs can be recycled without a second thought. If you're feeling ambitious, help out by rinsing them and removing labels.
On the other hand, items like squeezable bottles, plastic bags, meat trays, some clamshells and disposable plates and cups are problems. These items will have the numbers 4, 6 and 7 on them. Don't recycle them, sorting plants are going to send them to landfill if you do. Even worse are items with the no. 3 on them. This category includes cosmetics, some food wrap, blister packs and pipes. They're made of PVC. The chemical composition of PVC's cause them to contaminate batches of plastics which might otherwise be recyclable. Bottom line: keep PVC's out of your recycling bin.
Finally, don't every try to recycle plastic shopping bags, cling wrap or bubble wrap. They're so light weight they become airborne in sorting plants. Worse yet, they jam up the sorting machines. What's our motto? When in doubt, keep it out! You don't get any points for recycling things that shouldn't be recycled.
With thanks to The New York Times' "Climate Forward."
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