Plastic Recycling Tips

green | August 24th, 2009 - 12:15 PM

Plastics are used everywhere today, from packaging to car parts to building construction, and production is growing rapidly, leading to increased waste. Most plastic is made from nonrenewable resources. Plastics are typically made from fossil fuels, including natural gas and oil.

You can make a difference by getting to know your plastic. Since the late 1980s, many plastic products have been labeled with one of seven codes indicating the type of material they’re made from. These are the familiar numbers and letters inside “chasing arrows” found on the bottom of plastic containers. The most commonly recycled types are #1-PET and #2-HDPE, while the other five are much less likely to be collected. Greener Choices has a table that explains the codes, common packaging and recycling uses.Choose plastics that can be recycled in your community. Most communities accept #1 and #2 plastics.

Follow your community’s recycling guidelines, especially if not all types of plastics are collected there. Check which ones are accepted.

Give preference to products made from recycled content. Whenever possible, use products made from recycled plastic. Look for those labeled “made with recycled content - and especially those “made with post-consumer recycled content,” which are made with materials that have actually been used, rather than with manufacturing waste that never reached consumers.

Reduce when you can. Try to cut down on the amount of plastics you use in the first place. Alternatives, such as reusable shopping bags and water bottles, and refillable containers can go a long way toward reducing the amount of plastics that enter the waste stream.

sheimaginespeace creates a great video for a chemistry project.   Hope you received an A+ grade. We can look into the world of Plastic Recycling.

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