On most recycables, there will be this symbol (somewhere on it) with a little number inside and maybe a word underneath that looks like gibberish.
(#1) PET or PETE: Polyethylene TerephthalatePET is commonly used for soft drink & water bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter containers. It is the most widely recycled plastic.
(#2) HDPE: High-Density Polyethylene Identifies milk, cider & water jugs, detergent, fabric softener & bleach bottles. HDPE is slightly waxy and semi-rigid. It does not crack. It floats in water.
(#3) PVC: Polyvinyl ChlorideAlso abbreviated V, PVC is used in salad dressing bottles, vegetable oil bottles and mouthwash bottles. PVC is smooth, scratches easily and sinks in water.
(#4) LDPE: Low-Density PolyethyleneLDPE is used in flexible bags for dry cleaning, trash, produce, bread and shrink wrap. Recycled LDPE is often used to make grocery bags.
(#5) PP: PolypropylenePP is usually is found in drinking straws, battery cases, some dairy tubs, bottles labels and caps, and rope. PP stretches into filaments and emits a chemical smell when burned.
(#6) PS: PolystyrenePS and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) both are No. 6 plastics. PS and EPS are commonly used in packaging peanuts and other packaging materials and in plastic utensils, mean and egg trays. PS sinks in water; EPS floats.
(#7) Other: Other plastics often are made of multiple resins or layers of different types of plastics. These may include microwave packages, snack bags and industrial plastics.
Anything in these categories that has that little recycle symbol with the number and 'word' underneath can be recycled!
One more thing to remember, plastic bags are NOT recycable. However, you can bring it to your local H-E-B or Walmart and they will reuse the bag. We used to put our bit of recycle in plastic grocery bags to bring to the recycling center every few months. But - once we got there, they had us take the paper and newspapers, etc. out of the plastic bags. However, we always REUSE our plastic bags for various things, so we never throw them out. Remember the little saying they teach you in Elementary School: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They all help our communtiy stay cleaner!
Citation: "Recycling Symbol Definitions." www.alliedwastedalycity.com. n.p. n.d. Web. 30 April 2011. <http://www.alliedwastedalycity.com/kids/symbols.cfm>
5 comments:
I always thought you could recycle plastic bags. That's new news to me.
Very informative. I learned something I didn't know. THANKS
I have always wondered what those symbols meant! That was very interesting and informative! Thank You!
Thanks for sharing this! I learned about plastic grocery bags--that they have already been recycled. Is that why they can't be recycled again?
thank you for doing this. everything helps. at work we are recycling too. and the information about the symbols was great.
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