Recycling PETE bottles and jars can create new plastic containers, furniture, carpet fibers, and winter jackets. Polyethylene terephthalate is fully recyclable and the most common plastic in circulation. Yet, the U. High-Density Polyethylene No. HDPE is another common type of plastic found in many household products like milk jugs, cleaning containers, and shampoo and detergent bottles.
These products are commonly recycled into pens, toys, engineered lumber, outdoor furniture, and traffic cones. HDPE is easy to recycle, and according to recent studies , can be recycled up to 10 times for new products. Polyvinyl Chloride No. Vinyl is ideal for these types of products because of its strong, durable, and flexible properties. When recycled, vinyl is used to make binders, window frames, gutters, flooring, and fencing.
Polycarbonate is number seven plastic, and it's the hard plastic that has worried parents after studies have shown it as a hormone disruptor. PLA polylactic acid , which is made from plants and is carbon neutral, also falls into this category.
Found in: Three- and five-gallon water bottles, bullet-proof materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon. How to recycle it: These other plastics are traditionally not recycled, so don't expect your local provider to accept them. The best option is to consult your municipality's website for specific instructions. Product Reviews. Home Ideas. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories.
The Rise of the Cleanfluencer. Getty Images. How to know what plastics can be recycled Every town and city has different recycling programs, so you'll often have to check your location's rules to find out exactly what you can recycle.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Found in: Soft drinks, water, ketchup, and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers How to recycle it: PET or PETE can be picked up through most curbside recycling programs as long as it's been emptied and rinsed of any food. Found in: Milk jugs; juice bottles; bleach, detergent, and other household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; some trash and shopping bags; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; cereal box liners How to recycle it: HDPE can often be picked up through most curbside recycling programs, although some allow only containers with necks.
Found in: Shampoo and cooking oil bottles, blister packaging, wire jacketing, siding, windows, piping How to recycle it: PVC and V can rarely be recycled, but it's accepted by some plastic lumber makers. Found in: Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning, and shopping bags; tote bags; furniture How to recycle it: LDPE is not often recycled through curbside programs, but some communities might accept it.
Found in: Some yogurt containers, syrup and medicine bottles, caps, straws How to recycle it: PP can be recycled through some curbside programs, just don't forget to make sure there's no food left inside. These labels can tell you what you should do to prepare the item for recycling if applicable ; whether it is widely recycled, recycled in only limited places, not recycled, or recycled by dropping off at a specific location, such as a grocery store; the type of recyclable material; and the component or components that are recycled.
In the meantime, the RIC system is still in place and helpful for both consumers and those who want to run a plastics recycling operation, which generally deals with packaging used for consumer products. Each number represents a type of plastic, and different types of plastics are generally used in the same types of packaging. This symbol is normally found on bottles for soft drinks and water; salad dressing, peanut butter, and vegetable oil containers; and mouthwash bottles.
PET bottles can be recycled into new containers, pallet straps, paneling, carpet and clothing fibers, and fiberfill for soft furnishings and sleeping bags. Although there is demand for recycled PET , the recycling rate in the U. A 2 inside the triangle indicates the plastic is high-density polyethylene, or HDPE. You can find HDPE in milk jugs, shampoo bottles, butter and yogurt tubs, motor oil bottles, shopping and trash bags, bags inside cereal boxes, and household cleaner and detergent bottles.
This plastic can be recycled into lumber, drainage pipes, pens, fencing, picnic tables, doghouses, benches, and floor tiles, in addition to bottles and other containers. The recycling rate for HDPE bottles was A 3 inside the triangle indicates the plastic is vinyl or polyvinyl chloride. You can find vinyl in piping, siding, medical equipment, wire jacketing, certain clear food packaging, and cooking oil, window cleaner, detergent, and shampoo bottles. Vinyl is rarely recycled.
A tiny percentage of PVC is recycled into mats, speed bumps, cables, flooring, roadway gutters, mud flaps, paneling, and decks. A 4 inside the triangle indicates the plastic is low-density polyethylene, or LDPE. PVC also appears in cooking oil and shampoo bottles, medical tubing, wire jacketing, and window cleaner spray bottles. That means shrink wrap, as well as bags — dry cleaning, grocery, bread, frozen food, and produce bags all qualify. Polypropylene, or PP, has a high melting point that makes it great for containing hot liquids.
Polystyrene PS is an incredibly versatile plastic. It can be manipulated into a soft foam, like packing peanuts, or hardened into a sturdy CD case. PS is further used in take-out containers, disposable plates and cutlery, aspirin bottles, and egg cartons.
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