Recycling Plastics - Where to Start
For thousands of years people around the world have been re-using and recycling. Our current ‘throw-away’ lifestyle is is only about 50 years old. In generations past, it was common practice to use chalkboards to save expensive paper. Dishes, cups, and utensils were made to be reused and often were made from metal or wood. Back then, plastic recycling wasn’t an issue. Of course, there are all kinds of wonderful and important products that have made life easier and safer all thanks to plastics. The new emphasis is on showing our appreciation by learning about and practicing plastic recycling. After all, next to paper, plastics are the most commonly used recyclable item.
It is very costly to recycle plastic because of the elaborate sorting process that has to take place. There are many different types of plastic out there. They can’t all be lumped together or you will have products that are new but not of good quality. One way to take care of this is to sort them out by the resin code. They have been placed on all plastic materials since 1988. You will probably have to remove the lids as the material they are made of is often not plastic or cannot be recycled.
The easiest types of plastics for recycling are plastic water bottles and soft drinks, medicine containers, and similar household items. These plastics are assigned the number one. It can typically be found on the bottom of the container inside the universal symbol for recycling. Once these items have been recycled in the plant, they often are used for filling in coats and sleeping bags.
Plastics marked with a two are also easy to recycle. These plastics tend to be a little heavier than the number one plastics. You will find these plastics in items like milk jugs, laundry detergent containers, and motor oil bottles. Some toys, synthetic lumber and plastic rope can also be made with number two plastic. Like the number one ranked plastics, most recycling centers are happy to accept this type of material.
One of the largest contributors of plastic waste comes from shopping. Most retail stores and grocery stores now use plastic bags instead of paper. Yet if you just through these bags away they can really add up quickly. Many people save them at home and use them for small trash cans and to carry supplies in. Some of these stores also have plastic bag recycle bins in the front. You can take what you have collected back the next time you shop.
When you know that type of plastic that can be recycled, you are on your way to making a difference in the amount of waste that unnecessarily ends up in the landfills.When in doubt as to what you can recycle, you can contact your local recycling center for more information. They will be delighted to help you start your personal recycling program. If you don’t know where your recycling center is then contact your local health department or Chamber of Commerce. If your community doesn’t participate in such recycling efforts then make a motion to get it started.
One area where more information could be made available to more people is recycling plastic. Many people don’t recycle plastic simply because they don’t think about it. If you are already recycling glass and paper then simply add a place to store plastic for recycling as well. You can pick up our free recycling guide at http://www.RecycleKnowHow.com and find information about other types of recycling.
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