Mommy Goes Green

What does that recycling symbol on plastic mean?  On most plastics, you will find the 3 arrows with a # in the middle indicating the type of plastic the product is manufactured from.   This number also helps indicate whether or not it is recyclable in the area you live in.  You might find that only a couple types of plastic are recyclable curbside and you may need to store the other plastics and periodically deliver them to another facility.  For example, our recycling curbside service takes a lot of different plastics but I store plastic bags/wrapping and hard plastic containers ( from toy packaging) and take them to a recycling facility about once a month.

1 – PET – Polyethylene terephthalate – commonly used in soft drink and water bottles

2 – HDPE – high-density polyethylene – made from petroleum and commonly used in laundry bottles and milk jugs, plastic bags, plastic lumber and hula hoops

3 – V – vinyl or PVC - rigid plastic, over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction.  When used with plasticizers ( to make it softer and flexible), it’s commonly used in hoses, water beds, pool toys, inflatable structures and shower curtains.

4 – LDPE – low-density polyethylene – made from petroleum, it is commonly used in plastic bags, six pack soda can rings, playground slides and food storage containers

5 – PP – polypropylene – commonly used in ropes, rugs, food containers, medical plastic items and dairy containers ( like yogurt )

6 – PS – polystyrene – found in disposable cutlery, CD/DVD cases, and smoke detectors. Foamed polystyrene is used in packing materials, insulation and foam drink cups.

7 – O – other - variety of plastics not fitting in other 6 categories.  Currently controversial polycarbonate with bisphenol A (BPA) is a #7 plastic.