Plastic #4 LDPE and Plastic #5 PP

#4 LDPE (low density polyethylene)
Found in: Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning and shopping bags; tote bags; clothing; furniture and carpet.
Recycled: LPDE is not often recycled through curbside pickup 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; landscape ties and floor tiles.
Note: LDPE is a flexible plastic with many applications.


#5 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 and trays.
Note: 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.

Plastic #2 HDPE and Plastic #3 V or PVC

#2 HDPE (high density polyethylene)
Found in: Milk jugs; juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; cereal box liners.
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs; although some allow only those containers with necks.
Recycled into: Laundry detergent bottles; oil bottles; pens; recycling containers; floor tile; drainage pipe; lumber; benches; doghouses; picnic tables and fencing.
Note: HDPE is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially for packaging. It carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many goods.

#3 V (Vinyl) or PVC (THE POISON PLASTIC)
Found in: Window cleaner and detergent bottles; shampoo bottles; cooking oil bottles; shower curtains; clear food packaging; wire jacketing; medical equipment, siding, windows and piping.
Recycled: Rarely recycled; accept by some plastic lumber makers.
Recycled into: Decks; paneling; mud flaps; roadway gutters; flooring; cables; speed bumps and mats.
Note: 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. That clean smell you get when you open and hang a new shower curtain…that smell is toxins. Look for eco friendly shower curtains.
The link below is worth a look. It will show you how plastic #3 gets into our home and around our family without us noticing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpmE_b90XTU&feature=user (copy and paste this link to your brouser)

PET or PETE 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; oven-able food trays.
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs and accepted at your local recycling centers.
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 of Pet plastic remain relatively low (around 20%), though the material is in high demand by many remanufactures.

On Thursday we will take a look at HDPE #2 plastic (high density poltethylene).

What Do All of Those Recycling Symbols Mean Anyway?

How do we make sense of all the different types of recycling symbols? I will cover each type of plastic symbol with hopes of taking the confusion away. If you do not think its worth looking at, take a look around you. Our streets are littered; our waterways are clogged and let’s not forget about our marine life being choked. We can start cleaning up by just educating ourselves. Knowledge is power! So with that being said, let’s get started.



1 - PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate) - Fizzy drink bottles and oven-ready meal trays.

2 - HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) - Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids.

3 - PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) - Food trays, cling film, bottles, mineral water, plumbing parts & outdoor decking/fencing, just to name a few.

4 - LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) - Carrier bags and bin liners.

5 - PP (Polypropylene) - Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays.

6 - PS (Polystyrene) - Yogurt pots, foamed meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes, egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys.

7 - OTHER (Any other plastics) that do not fall into any of the above categories, which is A Lot of different types.

In the next few weeks, I will look at each recycling code, what it is found on, how it is recycled and what it is recycled into.

Can I Recycle That?

This is a question my kids ask me all of the time. Can I recycle that? I want to talk about that question and use for example: egg cartons. Egg cartons have been a big issue in my house for years. I felt like I was always pulling egg cartons out of the trash. Egg cartons are on the list of do not recycle items. However, I have found that I do not feel good about throwing them out. The cardboard egg cartons make a great fire starter. I like to fill them with dryer lint and shredded paper. That creates a good steady burn. This can be used outside in a fire pit and inside in a wood stove as well. Now please, do not use the polystyrene cartons as a fire starter, they will only melt and send toxic fumes into the air. Only use cardboard egg cartons. Cardboard egg cartons are also good for seed starting. After the seeds starts to sprout, place them directly in the ground and let Mother Nature take care of the rest.
Now for the polystyrene egg cartons. I usually give them to my local farmers (at the local farmers market) so they can reuse them. I have found the farmers to be more than happy to take them off of my hands. If you have young children, you may also find a home in their preschool class room or elementary art classes. Many crafts are created with the egg carton. Other uses for both are shipping containers for home made goodies, shipping materials (used to insulate and protect) and even a change sorter. If they must to be thrown out, put one or two in the bottom of your fresh trash bag and use them to prevent the bag from tearing and leaking. I would certainly hope that we would choose to find other uses for our egg cartons but I understand that sometimes we have no choice. My next topic will be added next Tuesday, December 1st. I will continue talking about what not to recycle as well as alternative uses. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Recycle - Recycle - Recycle

I have taken a hard look at my families buying and consuming habits. We were out of control to say the least. I knew we weren’t alone. I was making purchases just because I or we wanted that particular item. I didn’t think twice about the packaging. I just didn’t pay attention and most of the packaging went into the trash anyway. That is why I began to read the boxes (to see if they were made from recycled material) and made a point to get my family involved in knowing the difference as well. My goal was to make sure I was able to recycle the packaging from everything we purchased. Each type of material or packaging has a symbol that reflects whether it can be recycled or was processed from recycled materials. I felt paper and cardboard was a good place to start. Think about this, some boxes can also be reused and again this too will help with reducing waste. With just some small changes to my shopping list I have been able to change my buying habits so my waste habits would benefit. Of course our recycling bins have grown but it warms my heart to make a difference. So take a hard look at what you are bringing into your home. Is it recyclable? Was it made with recycled material? Try looking at your shopping list in a different prospective. You will save money in the long run by reducing your waste removal cost. Not to mention you will also make an environmental difference as well.

Saving Money by Recycling

Whether you run a household a business or both, the ultimate goal is to not waste money. With the economy today, everyone is watching their dollars. What’s interesting about this is I find myself along with many others clipping coupons and watching sales papers or newspaper ads daily and weekly before a purchase is made. I am talking about a purchase as small as a can of soup to major appliances or even a vehicle. So what happens to that product once it comes into our home? A can of soup, we open it, consume it and then what? In my house, I rinse it out and recycle it. Many homes just put in the trash. If you choose to do that, you’re putting your saving for that item into the trash as well. Why you ask… because you are paying someone to remove it. How crazy is that! Look at it this way; if we take the time to reevaluate what we put in the trash we will certainly reduce waste. In short, this will cause us to save in our weekly trash removal costs. So how do we reevaluate our trash? Look at the packaging almost all products come in. Cereal, soup, shampoo, cooking oil even aluminum foil packaging. For example: aluminum foil packaging, I fold the box flat after removing the cardboard cylinder and the metal cutting edge from the box and put this in the appropriate recycling bin. So the cylinder, cardboard box and aluminum are recycled. It takes a few seconds to do this. It takes a bit long to do this without thinking twice about it. In the following weeks, I will take a look at the products we bring into our home and how we can recycle them.