Precisely What Each Plastic Recycling Image Actually Means

PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) is the most typical plastic for single-use bottled drinks as a result of it’s cheap, light-weight and simple to recycle. The PET doesn’t degrade simply through the recycling course of and thus has a decrease danger of trapping decomposition merchandise that may then leach out. Its recycling charges stay comparatively low (round 20%), though the fabric is in excessive demand by producers.

Present in: Smooth drinks, water, ketchup and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing; and vegetable oil containers

How one can recycle it: PET or PETE could be picked up via most curbside recycling packages, so long as it’s been emptied and rinsed of any meals. In the case of caps, our environmental execs say it’s in all probability higher to get rid of them within the trash (since they’re often product of a special kind of plastic), until your city explicitly says you possibly can throw them within the recycle bin. There’s no have to take away bottle labels as a result of the recycling course of separates them.

Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote baggage, furnishings, carpet, paneling, straps, bottles and meals containers (so long as the plastic being recycled meets purity requirements and doesn’t have hazardous contaminants).