PLastIc PRoblem

WhaT ShoulD You KNOW AbouT PlasTic RecYCling

Plastic recycling is the new environmental policy trend in communities across the nation. Plastic recycling is now greatly expanded. Products and empty containers labeled with resin codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 are now acceptable. Plastic recycling is relatively new and has a growing infrastructure. In addition, weather (wind, rain, snow, and even sun) in Summit County makes recycling plastic bags extremely difficult as they must be dry to be shipped and are easily blown away. Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products. Many number of types of plastic, each of them carry a resin identification code , and must be sorted before they can be recycled.

Greenpeace and other organizations have documented conditions at recycling facilities in countries that import this material and have found conditions to be hazardous and exploitive. In addition, Greenpeace found that exported plastics were very poorly sorted. Greenpeace says embracing the three Rs - reduce, re-use and recycle - would help tackle the problem. Plastic recycling is lagging well behind paper and cardboard.

Types of plastics are assigned a number, called a resin identification code , which is usually stamped or printed on the bottom of containers and surrounded by a recycling symbol (a triangle of arrows). Type 4 is less commonly recycled. The other types are generally not recycled, except perhaps in small test programs.

PVC cannot easily be mixed with other plastics for recycling because it releases toxic additives when melted down. PVC has a low melt point and produces acidic by-products when it burns. They are the most valuable plastics, but unsuitable to our application.