Why Don't All Cities Accept All Plastics to Recycle?

After a friend read one my posts relating to deciphering the numbers on the bottoms of plastics, she came to me with a great question: Why don't all cities accept all the plastics (#1-7) and how can we find out which plastics our city will accept to recycle?

These are both valid questions. I came across a site that addresses these queries. Check out, http://tinyurl.com/5c4lq9

Overall, it all depends on your local solid waste management, so contact them to confirm what they will and will not accept. Another site I often go to is, Earth911.com . Here, you can look under plastics, type in your zip code, and they will list all the places within a particular mile radius, where you can recycle your #1-7 plastics.

Decifer the Plastic Recycling Numbers

So, do you think your plastic take-out food container is recyclable just because it has the chasing arrows symbol on the bottom? Talk about a misconception! This symbol with the number inside simply indicates the type of resins used to produce the product.

Once all your different plastic recyclables has reached the recycling plant, it is important that the plastic types are not mixed. Just a tiny amount of the wrong plastic can destroy the melt. That is why the Society of the Plastic Industry has come up with a code, or number, inside of a recyclable-looking triangle to allow recyclers to differentiate between the various types of resin, or plastic. To find out in more detail what the numbers mean, check out http://www.pslc.ws/mactest/work/recycle.htm.


The numbers range from 1 to 7; 7 being the notorious, NO RECYCLING POTENTIAL. Most water bottle lids are made from this #7, so remember to take off the lids before you throw your bottle into the recycling bin. Other plastic products you may purchase may be labelled with the #7, so be really sure you want it. You'll have to hold onto it for eternity since it is un-recyclable!