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you wish to recycle!

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE)

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!

Water Bottles

Soda Bottles

Food Jars

Salad Dressing

Mouthwash Bottles

Does your plastic fall under the category above?

Yes No

PET plastic is recyclable and about 25% of PET bottles in the US today are recycled. The plastic is crushed and then shredded into small flakes which are then reprocessed to make new PET bottles, or spun into polyester fiber.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic clear in color?

Yes No

PET is one of the most commonly used plastics in consumer products, and is found in most water and pop bottles, and some packaging.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Did you use multiple times?

Yes No

It is intended for single use applications; repeated use increases the risk of leaching and bacterial growth.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Did you clean and dry the container?

Yes No

PET plastic is difficult to decontaminate, and proper cleaning requires harmful chemicals. Polyethylene terephthalates may leach carcinogens. Clean and dry containers, then put the cap back on before tossing in the bin.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!

Shampoo Bottles

Milk Jugs

Toys

Cosmetics

Detergent Bottles

Does your plastic fall under the category above?

Yes No

HDPE plastics are also extremely common. They’re those used to make milk jugs, shampoo bottles, cleaning product containers and detergent bottles.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic clear in color?

Yes No

HDPE plastic is very hard-wearing and does not break down under exposure to sunlight or extremes of heating or freezing. For this reason, HDPE is used to make picnic tables, plastic lumber, waste bins, park benches, bed liners for trucks and other products which require durability and weather-resistance.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Did you use multiple times?

Yes No

HDPE is the most commonly recycled plastic and is considered one of the safest forms of plastic. It is a relatively simple and cost-effective process to recycle HDPE plastic for secondary use. It can be reused without any harm.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Did you clean and dry the container?

Yes No

It is difficult to decontaminate, and proper cleaning requires harmful chemicals. Make sure containers are completely empty to avoid contamination. Clean and dry containers, then put the cap back on before tossing in the bin.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!

Shower Curtains

Pipes

Clear Food Wrap

Electrical Boxes and Cables

Hoses

Does your plastic fall under the category above?

Yes No

PVC is dubbed the “poison plastic” because it contains numerous toxins which it can leach throughout its entire life cycle. Almost all products using PVC require virgin material for their construction; less than 1% of PVC material is recycled.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic soft and flexible?

Yes No

PVC is a soft, flexible plastic used to make clear plastic food wrapping, cooking oil bottles, teething rings, children’s and pets’ toys, and blister packaging for myriad consumer products. It is commonly used as the sheathing material for computer cables, to make plastic pipes and parts for plumbing, and in garden hoses.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!

Grocery Bags

Sandwich Bags

Wrapping Films

Frozen Food Bags

Packaging Foam

Does your plastic fall under the category above?

Yes No

LDPE is considered less toxic than other plastics, and relatively safe for use. It is not commonly recycled, however, although this is changing in many communities today as more plastic recycling programs gear up to handle this material.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic elastic?

Yes No

LDPE is often found in shrink wraps, dry cleaner garment bags, squeezable bottles, and the type of plastic bags used to package bread. The plastic grocery bags used in most stores today are made using LDPE plastic.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Does your plastic not contain recyclables or other object?

Yes No

Do not bag recyclables as materials inside may not get recycled. Reuse plastic bags, or learn where you can recycle them at plasticfilmrecycling.org.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Polypropylene (PP)

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!

Yogurt Containers

Syrup Bottles

Straws

Medicine Containers

Ice-cream Containers

Does your plastic fall under the category above?

Yes No

Polypropylene is recyclable through some curbside recycling programs, but only about 3% of PP products are currently being recycled in the US. Recycled PP is used to make landscaping border stripping, battery cases, brooms, bins and trays. However, #5 plastic is today becoming more accepted by recyclers.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic tough and lightweight?

Yes No

Polypropylene plastic is tough and lightweight, and has excellent heat-resistance qualities. It serves as a barrier against moisture, grease and chemicals. When you try to open the thin plastic liner in a cereal box, it is polypropylene.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Did you make sure the container is completely empty?

Yes No

Make sure containers are completely empty to avoid contamination.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Did you clean and dry the container?

Yes No

Clean and dry containers, then put the cap back on before tossing in the bin. PP is considered safe for reuse. To recycle products made from PP, check with your local curbside program to see if they are now accepting this material.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Polystyrene, or Styrofoam

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!

Plastic Cups

Coffee Cups

Packing Peanuts

Styrofoam

CD Cases

Does your plastic fall under the category above?

Yes No

Recycling is not widely available for polystyrene products. Most curbside collection services will not accept polystyrene, which is why this material accounts for about 35% of US landfill material. While the technology for recycling polystyrene is available, the market for recycling is small.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic lightweight and structurally weak?

Yes No

Polystyrene is an inexpensive, lightweight and easily-formed plastic with a wide variety of uses. It is most often used to make disposable foam drinking cups, take-out “clamshell” food containers, egg cartons, plastic picnic cutlery, foam packaging and those ubiquitous “peanut” foam chips used to fill shipping boxes to protect the contents.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic not contaminated by food?

Yes No

Polystyrene may leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen, into food products (especially when heated in a microwave). Chemicals present in polystyrene have been linked with human health and reproductive system dysfunction.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

'Other'

IN THE RECYCLING BIN!

Sport Bottles and Equipment

Baby Bottles

Lids

Car Parts

Medical Equipment

Does your plastic fall under the category above?

Yes No

The #7 category was designed as a catch-all for polycarbonate (PC) and “other” plastics, so reuse and recycling protocols are not standardized within this category. Of primary concern with #7 plastics, however, is the potential for chemical leaching into food or drink products packaged in polycarbonate containers made using BPA (Bisphenol A).

Not Accepted in Your Bin

Is your plastic new plastics, bioplastics, or items composed of different types of plastics?

Yes No

Plastic number 7 includes new plastics, bioplastic, and items composed of different types of plastics. This recycling logo also stands for polycarbonate (PC) which contains highly dangerous BPA (Bisphenol A). Try to avoid products with the PC label.

Not Accepted in Your Bin

1. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE)

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) is one of the most common types of plastic and is commonly found in bottles of soda, juice, water and cough syrup and jars of peanut butter. The bottoms of these containers are usually stamped with the chasing arrows symbol and the number 1, the code for PET.

2. High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

High-Density Polyethylene, or No. 2 HDPE, is used in shampoo and detergent bottles, milk jugs, cosmetics, motor oil, toys and sturdy shopping Bags, and is considered one of the safer plastics. HDPE is often opaque or cloudy. Some recycling centres can only handle clear No. 2 plastics, such as milk jugs, but not colored bottles. As rule of thumb, bottles, jars, and jugs are most likely to be collected for recycling, particularly those labelled 1 or 2. Tubs, lids, spray pumps, buckets, films, Bags and items containing toxic chemicals such as drain cleaner, are less likely to be accepted by recyclers.

3. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Polyvinyl Chloride, or No. 3 PVC, is found in shower curtains, meat and cheese wrappers, ring binders, some bottles, plumbing pipes and building materials. Commonly called vinyl, PVC and closely related PVDC differ from other vinyls, which lack the toxic Chloride. PVC continues to be used in many toys.

4. Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Low-Density Polyethylene, or No. 4 LDPE, is used in shopping Bags, six-pack rings, hard drive casings, CD and DVD cases and some bottles. Unlike PVC, LDPE isn’t regarded as a ‘bad’ plastic by most eco watchdogs. Potentially toxic industrial chemicals involved in its manufacture, however, include butane, benzene and vinyl acetate.

5. Polypropylene (PP)

Polypropylene, or PP, is used in the products in this photograph as well as in nappies, pails, dishes, candy containers and lab equipment. The purple product pictured here is made from recycled polypropylene from Recycline. Makers of electronics packaging, including Microsoft, are increasingly using the recycled material instead of toxic PVC.

6. Polystyrene, or Styrofoam

Polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, is used in disposable cups and take-out food containers, packing peanuts, trays and egg cartons. Most fast-food chains, including McDonald’s, phased out polystyrene for sandwich containers more than 20 years ago. Ozone layer-depleting CFCs haven’t been used to make Polystyrene since the late 1980s.

7. ‘Other’

The No. 7 SPI code is generally a wild card marking plastics that don’t fall within the other six categories. These include polycarbonate bottles, which are understood by scientists to wreak havoc on human hormones by leaching bisphenol-A into hot beverages. As a result, polycarbonate baby bottles are losing favour with the public, and retailers including Toys ‘R Us are starting to sell more BPA-free bottles.

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Recycling centers for “#1 Plastics” near “63130”

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Important Information on Plastic Recycling

The number on your plastic indicates what it's made of, but does not guarantee recyclability. Please explore these listings further before you recycle.

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Simply enter in the plastic you are trying to recycle along with your zipcode and click search.

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What do the recycling numbers mean?

At the bottom of most plastic containers you can find a small number inside the three arrow triangle recycling symbol. This number is a reference to what type of plastic the container is made of. Each plastic is composed of a different molecule or set of molecules. Different molecules do not mix when plastics are recycled, it is like trying to recycle paper and glass together. For this reason they need to be separated. The recycling numbers are a uniform way of classifying the different types of plastic and it aids recyclers in the sorting process. Note that sometimes other numbers are found on the bottom of plastic containers, but only numbers inside the recycling symbol are valid for recycling purpose.

The recycling code constitutes of the numbers 1 through 7. Sometimes below the numbers you also find the abbreviations for the plastic type (PETE, HDPE, etc.). The most widely accepted plastics for recycling are number 1 and 2, also most of plastic containers are type 1 and 2. Below is a list of the numbers, full names of the plastics they refer to, and some examples of common containers made of that product.