What plastic is recyclable and what is not?

My spouse and I have an ongoing battle over what plastic items are recyclable and what are not.  Shouldn't all plastic be recyclable?  Do you have it figured out?

In the store 'Elements of Green' we find ourselves in constant conversation with clients about where products come from and what they are made from.  So I went to our local experts at Bridging the Gap and asked them for clarification.  The most interesting item I learned from our discussion is there is no universal answer to this question.  What applies here in Kansas City is unique from Denver, Seattle and or NYC.  This is due to the available market potential for the recycled plastic material.  So in Kansas City let's net it out as simply as possible.

Both the KCMO curbside recycling and Recycling Centers now accept the following types of plastic. Please read the list below carefully, as we are only able to accept the following specific types:

• #1 and #2 plastic bottles with a neck (as before)
• #2 HDPE margarine and yogurt containers
• #5 Polypropylene food containers (ketchup, chocolate syrup, etc.)
• #6 rigid, transparent polystyrene food containers (NOT Styrofoam™ food containers)

 As far as what is “not recyclable” from your food packaging, here are a few examples:

•  Individual candy wrappers or potato chip bags with a mylar lining
• Any plastic bags that used to package food
• Cardboard or paperboard with oil stains from food (e.g. pizza boxes)

#1 Plastic:  What Is It? -- PETE. Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene, used for soft drink, juice, water, detergent, cleaner, and peanut butter containers.  What's Wrong With It? -- #1 plastics are designed to be disposable, meaning they create more waste. If you try to reuse them, they can break down on you. The good news is, they are usually recyclable.

#2 Plastic: What Is It? -- HDPE: High density polyethylene, used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, and some plastic bags.  What's Wrong With it? -- Not so much in terms of health -- this is one of the "safe" plastics (along with #1, #4 and #5). But it's still made from petroleum products and ends up in landfills, so like all plastic, is not ideal from an environmental standpoint.

#3 Plastic: What Is It? -- PVC or V: Polyvinyl chloride, used for cling wrap, plastic squeeze bottles, cooking oil and peanut butter containers, and detergent and window cleaner bottles.  What's Wrong With It? -- Just about everything. So much, in fact, that I'm referring you to IATP's Smart Plastics Guide: PVC -- THE POISON PLASTIC: Polyvinyl chloride, also known as vinyl or PVC, poses risks to the environment and human health. PVC is the least recyclable plastic.

• Vinyl chloride workers face an elevated risk of liver cancer.
• Vinyl chloride manufacturing creates air and water pollution near the factories, often located in low-income neighborhoods.
• PVC needs additives and stabilizers to make it usable. Lead is often added for strength, while plasticizers are added for flexibility. These toxic additives contribute to further pollution and human exposure.
• Dioxin in air emissions from PVC manufacturing and disposal, or from incineration of PVC products, settles on grasslands and accumulates in meat and dairy products, and ultimately, in human tissue.
• Dioxin is a known carcinogen. Low-level exposures are associated with decreased birth weight, learning and behavioral problems in children, suppressed immune function and hormone disruption.

 #5 Plastic:  What Is It? -- PP: Polypropylene, used in most Rubbermaid; deli soup, syrup, and yogurt containers; and straws and other clouded plastic containers, including baby bottles.  What's Wrong With It? -- Like #2, this type of plastic seems to be OK from a health perspective (though, as with all plastic, I'd be leery of microwaving it in case chemicals leach out during the heating process). But this thicker type of plastic is usually not recyclable and will take centuries to break down in a landfill.

 

#7 Plastic:  What Is It? -- This is a catch-all category for plastics that don't fit into the #1-6 categories. It includes polycarbonate (usually, but not always, labeled #7-PC), bio-based plastics, co-polyester, acrylic, polyamide, and plastic mixtures like styrene-acrylo-nitrile resin (SAN). Number 7 plastics are used for a variety of products like baby bottles and "sippy" cups, baby food jars, 5-gallon water bottles, sport water bottles, plastic dinnerware, and clear plastic cutlery.  What's Wrong With It? -- For one thing, it's hard to know what type of plastic you're even dealing with, since so many fall under the Number 7 umbrella. For another, the list includes polycarbonate, which is the type of plastic found to leach Bisphenol-A, a known endocrine disruptor.

 

(Not sure what type of plastic you're dealing with? Flip the item over and check the number in the little recycling symbol on the bottom. Then read on.)

In closing, remember placing the wrong plastics in the recycling stream causes a negative value greater in proportion to the value of the correct plastics that you also included.  So please be careful of what you recycle.  Build Green, Live Healthy.