How To Recycle Plastic
May 11th, 2011 by Admin | Posted in Plastic Recycling
Tags: how to recycle plastic, Plastic Recycling
How to Recycle Plastic
It seems that recycling policies can get confusing for some consumers. Out of all the products that need to be recycled, plastics are something people are having difficulty with. Because there are different types of plastic that require different processes for proper reformulation and so on so forth, some people cannot deal. Add the different policies some municipalities have on recycling and we have a big mess on the recycling do’s and don’ts.
Here is a quick and easy to understand guide on how to recycle plastic and with it one of the biggest headaches out there—the dreaded plastic. You might be familiar with the symbol code. If not, it is the single digit from 1 to 7 surrounded by the triangle of arrows each one pointing the other in a cycle of sort designed by The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988.
Its goal is to allow consumer to differentiate between then types of plastics while providing a coding system for manufacturers nationwide. The numbers are required by 39 U.S. states to be imprinted on all eight-ounce to five-gallon plastic containers. The symbols must be at least half-inch minimum-sized to be seen clearly by the recycler. The American Plastics Council confirms that the codes help recyclers with what to do.
Number 1 goes to the easiest and most common plastics to recycle. They are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PETE). Examples are soda and water bottles, medicine containers, and almost all consumer product containers. After processing by a recycling facility, the PETE are turned into fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags and life jackets!
High-density polyethylene plastics get number 2. Heavy containers for laundry detergents, milk, shampoo and the like are examples of these. These can be reused and made into toys, plastic lumber, pipes and rope. These two types of plastic are easiest to recycle and most centers will happily accept them for processing. What happens when you run into the harder parts to recycle?
These products are marked from number 3 and up and can usually refer to your shower curtains, and baby nipples. Even further down the danger zone is number 4 which pertains to your grocery and shopping plastic bags. Best solution that we can all benefit from is simply to stop the use of such plastic products and employ biodegradable alternatives instead. We will all breathe easier and bless the next generation with our forward thinking as well.
This is how to recycle plastic the easy way, also more on what plastic is easiest to recycle!