What gets recycled?
Think about the plastic bottles, jugs, tubs and other containers around your home.  Some are see-through and some are not. Some are flexible, some are stiff.  In fact, they are different types of plastic and each is suitable as a container material or package for different reasons.  For example:

• PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) which helps keep the carbonation (carbon dioxide [CO²]) inside the bottle, is a good container for soft drinks.  

• HDPE (high density polyethylene) which doesn't become brittle at temperatures down to 120º C, is a great container for ice cream.

• Multi-layer plastic containers and wraps contain oxygen barriers that extend the shelf-life of products like cheese and bacon.

In order to help plastics recycling, each plastic rigid container has a code on its bottom. This code is a triangular shaped symbol enclosing a number from 1 to 7.  The type of plastic is below the symbol.  For instance, PETE is #1 (mostly used for soft drinks, water, other beverages, food products and household toiletries); HDPE is #2 (used for milk and water jugs, juices, laundry and cleaning agents);  V is #3 (stands for vinyl).; LDPE is #4 (stands for low-density polyethylene containers);  PP is #5 (stands for polypropylene commonly used in margarine and yogurt tubs);  PS is #6 (polystyrene used in foam cups, trays and egg cartons); and #7 is for ‘other’, such as multi-layer containers.

Check which plastics are collected in your community’s Blue Box/Blue Bag program and don’t forget to look at the bottom of the container to identify them.

How are plastic containers recycled?
• At the material recovery facility (MRF), workers sort the plastics by the different types, then, as with most other recyclable materials, the containers are compressed into bales.
When a sufficient number of bales has been made, the plastic containers are sold to market (a plastic recycler) and shipped by truck.

• When delivered to a plastic recycler, the plastic containers are ground into flakes, washed, dried and melted to form pellets from which new products are formed.

Plastic packages do get recycled into new products
• PETE #1 and HDPE #2 are the most common plastic containers collected in municipal recycling programs.
• One of the largest uses of recycled PETE bottles is fibre for carpets, blankets, insulation for ski jackets and sleeping bags, fleece outerwear and other clothing. For instance, 25 recycled two-litre PETE bottles are used to make a sweater.  Thirty-five recycled two-litre bottles are used to make enough fibrefill for a sleeping bag.
• Recycled HDPE bottles are used to make detergent and motor oil bottles, binders, fencing, wood/plastic lumber, recycling boxes, drainage pipe and many more items. 
• In some communities, PP and PS containers are collected.  Where they are recycled, PP is made into things like automobile parts and PS into CD trays, videocassette cases and cafeteria trays. Similarly, plastic bags are collected in some communities and these are made into garbage bags, compost bins and wood/plastic lumber.
• It is important to note that in Canada, plastic containers generally cannot be recycled directly into new bottles that would be in contact with food because of concerns that the bottles may have been used previously by consumers to store household chemicals such as pesticides.

Recycling Tips
• When putting containers in your recycling box or bag, they should be empty/rinsed, and flattened to conserve space. Take off the top and, holding onto something sturdy, carefully step on the side of the bottle to flatten it. 
• Remember to recycle all your containers that are accepted in your community’s recycling program.  Look for recycling bins to recycle your containers away from home, for example, when at school and recreational areas.  If none exist, take the container home to be recycled.

Other Plastic Facts
• Some motor oil bottles contain as much as 50% recycled content from used HDPE bottles.
• At least 10% of the plastic in LCBO carryout bags is recycled from household Blue Box/Blue Bag programs.
• Compact disk (CD) cases contain up to 85% recycled PS.
• Some curbside recycling Blue Boxes are made with 50% recycled content from plastic containers collected in household recycling programs.

For more adventures in plastics visit www.plastics.ca/epic