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What Do Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean?
Sometimes it seems like modern America is one colossal plastic palace. The versatile material is in our cars, toys, packaging, clothing, home goods, food utensils, medical devices and so much more. It is also littering our streets, clogging our waterways and choking marine life. Many plastics can be readily recycled, but how do consumers make sense of all the different types and rules?
Number 1 Plastics
  | PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) | | | Found In: Soft drink, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays. | | | Recycling: Pick up through most curbside recycling programs. | | | Recycled Into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers |
PET plastic is the most common for single-use bottled beverages, because it is inexpensive, lightweight and easy to recycle. It poses low risk of leaching breakdown products. Recycling rates remain relatively low (around 20%), though the material is in high demand by remanufacturers
Number 2 Plastics
 | | HDPE (high density polyethylene) | | | Found In: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; some trash and shopping bags; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; cereal box liners | | | Recycling: Pick up through most curbside recycling programs, although some only allow those containers with necks. | | | Recycled Into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing |
HDPE is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially for packaging. It carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many goods.
Number 3 Plastics
 | | V (Vinyl) or PVC | | | Found In: Window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, wire jacketing, medical equipment, siding, windows, piping | | | Recycling: Rarely recycled; accepted by some plastic lumber makers. | | | Recycled Into: Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats |
PVC is tough and weathers well, so it is commonly used for piping, siding and similar applications. PVC contains chlorine, so its manufacture can release highly dangerous dioxins. If you must cook with PVC, don't let the plastic touch food. Also never burn PVC, because it releases toxins.
Number 4 Plastics
 | | LDPE (low density polyethylene) | | | Found In: Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning and shopping bags; tote bags; clothing; furniture; carpet | | | Recycling: LDPE is not often recycled through curbside programs, but some communities will accept it. Plastic shopping bags can be returned to many stores for recycling. | | | Recycled Into: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile |
LDPE is a flexible plastic with many applications. Historically it has not been accepted through most American curbside recycling programs, but more and more communities are starting to accept it.
Number 5 Plastics
 | | PP (polypropylene) | | | Found In: Some yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws, medicine bottles | | | Recycling: Number 5 plastics can be recycled through some curbside programs. | | | Recycled Into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays |
Polypropylene has a high melting point, and so is often chosen for containers that must accept hot liquid. It is gradually becoming more accepted by recyclers.
Number 6 Plastics
 | | PS (polystyrene) | | | Found In: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases | | | Recycling: Number 6 plastics can be recycled through some curbside programs. | | | Recycled Into: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers |
Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foam products -- in the latter case it is popularly known as the trademark Styrofoam. Evidence suggests polystyrene can leach potential toxins into foods. The material was long on environmentalists' hit lists for dispersing widely across the landscape, and for being notoriously difficult to recycle. Most places still don't accept it, though it is gradually gaining traction.
Number 7 Plastics
 | | Miscellaneous | | | Found In: Three- and five-gallon water bottles, 'bullet-proof' materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon | | | Recycling: Number 7 plastics have traditionally not been recycled, though some curbside programs now take them. | | | Recycled Into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products |
A wide variety of plastic resins that don't fit into the previous categories are lumped into number 7. A few are even made from plants (polyactide) and are compostable. Polycarbonate is number 7, and is the hard plastic that has parents worried these days, after studies have shown it can leach potential hormone disruptors.
By Brian Clark Howard
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Recycling Codes Guide
