Plastic 1 and 2
Plastic 1 and 2
Aug 11Why don’t the recycling programs in the Tulsa area take all types of plastic bottles? I get asked that question more often than my wife gets asked why Up with Trees makes their signs out of wood. The answers are that plastic types all melt at different temperatures and we don’t have reliable markets who want the other plastics for making new products. How do you know what number plastic your bottles are? Look closely at the bottom for a recycling logo with a number in the middle.
There are seven types of plastic bottles found in the grocery store. Most, (about 94%) are made of number one and two plastic. These are polyethylene tarephalate (#1) and high-density polyethylene (#2). The numbers three through seven are difficult to recycle in part because there are so few of them that it is hard to gather enough to make into new products. Supply and demand is prevalent, even in recycling.
Most of the food items can be found in number one plastic. They include salad dressings, sodas, water and cooking oils. Milk and most soap items are found in number two plastic. They include laundry and dish soaps and shampoos. Condiments like mustard and ketchup bottles are usually number two, but some major brands use number seven plastic. My advice is to avoid purchasing this size or brand bottle. If you really compare mustard and ketchups, they generally cost about and taste about the same. If that is true, the better brand to purchase is the one made in bottles that are recyclable in every market.
The other rule to use before you recycle a plastic container is to check whether it is a bottle. Unfortunately, only bottles are really recycled around here. The definition of bottle is something that has a handle, neck or has a screw lid. Containers without one of those are tubs or jars and again melt at different temperatures than bottles. Examples of these types of non-recyclable containers include butter and yogurt tubs and containers for sour cream and dips.
I hope someday that all plastics can be recycled, but for now I try to purchase only products packaged and made from number one and two plastic. It does limit what I purchase, but I feel good about spending my dollars supporting recycling whenever possible. Now if we could only make those tree signs out of plastic…
