Life in Perspective

Tips on Recycling Plastic Bottles

According to the Container Recycling Institute, “More than 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators every day.”

These billions of bottles are destined for the landfill unless conscientious consumers are committed to recycling them. Success in recycling begins with putting the correct materials – prepared appropriately – into the recycling bin.

We all know the benefits of recycling plastic bottles, but the varied regulations addressing recycling programs can be a little confusing. When it comes to recycling bottles, check the neck. From a recycler’s perspective, a bottle is any container with an opening or neck that’s smaller than its base. That definition covers lots of containers you’ll find in your kitchen – from beverage bottles and milk jugs to bottles for salad dressing, peanut butter and mayonnaise, and don’t forget your dish detergent bottles.

Here are a few tips as you navigate the plastic bottle conundrum:

• Always check with your local department of waste management to determine what plastics are recycled, e.g. bottles, containers, or other plastics. If your recycling program accepts plastics based on resin numbers, check the code. Each plastic bottle is marked with a recycling code numbered 1-7, which tells you the type of plastic and whether or not you can recycle it. Almost all recycling programs collect plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PETE or PET) or high density polyethylene (HDPE). These are plastics #1 and #2.
• Prepare recyclables by removing caps and pumps and discard if instructed by your community program.
• Rinse your bottles, but you don’t need to remove labels.
• Crush bottles or containers by stepping on them so they take up less room in the bin.
• Bring home and recycle beverage bottles if you choose to buy a plastic bottle and find yourself somewhere that does not recycle.
• Consolidate trips to the drop-off center and find one as close to you as possible to minimize fuel use.
• Buy recycled. Support recycling by looking for products labeled “made with recycled content.” Those labeled “made with post-consumer recycled content” are products that have been made with materials that have been used, as opposed to virgin materials.