Your Questions About Recycling

The Expert answers:

#1 PET which stands for Polyethylene terephthalate. PET can be melted and drawn out into long fibers and recycled into carpets, fiberfill for jackets, and fabric for T-shirts and shopping bags

#2 HDPE or high-density polyethylene. Clear HDPE could easily be made into new containers. The colored HDPE (liquid detergent, and shampoo bottles) is generally recycled in plastic lumber.

Vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (# 3 V) could be recycled. It is used for clear food packaging and plumbing pipe. However, collecting it for recycling is cost-prohibitive because there are not enough items made from the material to warrant local factories to recycle it into new products. They are generally used once and tossed.

Low-density polyethylene (# 4 LDPE) is very flexible and made into bags for bread, frozen food, and grocery. Some of these bags are recycled into new bags or plastic lumber such as Trex. This plastic is lightweight and trucking it back for recycling uses more energy than producing a virgin product. Unless there is a recycling factory close by, most LDPE ends up in the landfill.

Polypropylene (# 5 PP) is made into yogurt, margarine, and other food containers. Like number 3 V, there are not enough containers made from PP to justify collecting it and shipping it to a recycling factory. In places where big industries use PP, there is enough volume for it to be sold for recycling.

Then there’s #6 PS – Polystyrene. The cost of moving used Styrofoam is higher than making it from virgin oil.

#7 OTHER. It can’t be sold or recycled.

The Expert answers:

Because not all plastics are created equal. Plastic is a great material, but there are so many types of different densities. Some are easier to recycle than others. The numbers show what the plastic is made out of. That way they can be recycled appropriately. Different procedures are need to recycle different types of plastic.

The Expert answers:

It shows the type of plastic.

The Expert answers:

The numbers tell the company when and where the product was made. This helps if there are any production problems or recalls, etc. It lets the company trace it back to the individual production facility and date and shift it was made.

The Expert answers:

Even though plastic bottles and tubs might have the same number inside their recycling symbols, they are not really made of identical material. Bottles are produced through one kind of molding process and lids through another, and these two processes require different plastic mixtures that melt at different temperatures. If these plastic containers are recycled together, the result is a mixture of material that has little value in a second round of manufacturing.

The lids to plastic bottles are made of different grades of plastic than the bottle itself. These grades of plastic are not recyclable in many states/provinces, and mixing lids in with plastic bottles will diminish the value of bottle-grade plastic collected.

The Expert answers:

Try these guys. I know nothing about them. You are on your own.

The Expert answers:

The company, were you getting package from should take care of this and deal with UPS. They should send you another package or refund you your money. Good Luck!

The Expert answers:

Identifies the type of plastic you have.
PET and HDPE bottles are recycled by the majority of local authorities

Number 1 Plastics
PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
Found in: Soft drink, beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays.
Picked up through most curbside recycling programs.

Number 2 Plastics
HDPE (high density polyethylene)
Found in: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles;
Picked up through most curbside recycling programs

Number 3 Plastics
V (Vinyl) or PVC
Found in: Detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging,
Rarely recycled

Number 4 Plastics
LDPE (low density polyethylene)
Found in: Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning and shopping bags; tote bags;
LDPE is not often recycled through curbside programs,

Number 5 Plastics
PP (polypropylene)
Found in: Some yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws
Recycled through some curbside programs.

Number 6 Plastics
PS (polystyrene)
Found in: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons
Recycled through some curbside programs.

Number 7 Plastics
Miscellaneous
Found in: Three- and five-gallon water bottles, ‘bullet-proof’ materials, sunglasses
Traditionally not been recycled, though some curbside programs now take them

The Expert answers:

“Before plastics can be recycled, they must be sorted. Many different kinds of materials are used as plastics, and most cannot be mixed, in the same way that oil and water can’t be mixed. To help separate one kind of plastic from another, many items have a triangle printed on them, with a number inside. The numbers on your bottles tell you from what kind of plastic the bottle is made.”

http://www.chemheritage.org/EducationalServices/faces/poly/readings/rec.htm

The link shows the different codes and what they mean (for plastics). Some places will ONLY take certain code #’s for recycling, so be sure to look at your area to see if they have limitations on that.