We’ve all seen the "chasing arrows" symbol on soda bottles, food packaging, cleaner bottles, and plastic bags. When we see that symbol, we know what it means. This plastic item is "recyclable," right? Great! Now, let's find that recycling bin!
But wait—did we gloss over those arrows, cryptic letters, and numbers too quickly? Let’s unravel the mystery of what those enigmatic characters reveal about plastic recyclability.
The numbers 1 through 7 in the middle of the 3-arrow icon is a resin identification code. In Texas, all plastic bottles and containers must contain the appropriate symbol indicating the plastic resin type. Resin is a petroleum product and the core ingredient of all plastics. The number also helps recyclers—also known as materials recovery facilities, or MRFs—easily determine what items they can accept, and which items will go into the landfill.
PETE stands for Polyethylene Terephthalate. This symbol is commonly found on water and soda bottles, household products like cleaning and detergent containers, and food containers like peanut butter jars and frozen food containers. This plastic is very common and most recycling programs can accept it. Recycled PETE is used to make new bottles, synthetic fabrics, carpet, and fiberfill for sleeping bags and jackets.
HDPE is High Density Polyethylene. Products made with HDPE tend to be sturdier than PETE. Milk and water jugs; laundry, shampoo, and motor oil containers; and cutting boards and some plastic bags are made with HDPE.
Uncolored or clear HDPE items are easily recycled into new containers. Colored HDPE items are converted into new items like plastic or poly lumber, lawn and garden edging, pipes, rope, and toys. Like PETE, most recyclers will accept HDPE.
Polyvinyl Chloride, or PVC, is widely recognized as it is used in PVC pipes and plumbing hardware. Medical equipment, electrical insulation, flooring, signage, inflatable products, and rubber substitutes are also typically made from PVC.
While PVC is difficult and expensive to recycle due to its high chlorine content, it’s certainly not impossible. PVC is one example where the high cost and technical difficulty of recycling doesn’t always make financial sense.
Very few local recyclers accept PVC. However, there are facilities in Texas that will accept it. Vinylinfo.org has a recycling directory that’s a good resource when looking for a facility that will accept PVC and other hard-to-recycle materials.
You probably encounter LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) nearly every day. Single-use plastic bags (the ones you carry your groceries and other items home in) are the most common form of LDPE. Recyclers typically don’t accept these plastic bags as they tend to clog recycling machinery. This wastes employee time, resources, and can damage equipment.
But there is good news! Many retail outlets and grocery stores collect and recycle these. Keep an eye out for plastic bag recycling bins where you shop and make good use of them! Better yet, bring your reusable shopping bags with you and eliminate your need for them altogether.
Polypropylene (PP) plastic is strong, very chemical resistant, and has a high melting point that makes it great for containing hot liquids. It can be found in straws, coffee cups, certain food containers, disposable diapers, outdoor carpet, plastic furniture, automobile parts, and more.
PP can be recycled, but it takes a lot of work. Due to differences in the melting temperatures and types of PP, achieving consistent quality during the recycling process is difficult. Once recycled, polypropylene can be repurposed to create items such as dishware, gardening materials, clothing and industrial fibers, containers, and speed bumps.
Polystyrene (PS) is also known as Styrofoam. It is commonly found in takeout food containers, disposable ice chests, and product packaging. Other types of Styrofoam are used to make disposable cutlery, egg cartons, building materials, and more. Recycling Styrofoam is possible, but generally not economically viable. Most times, PS will find its way into a landfill.
Plastics that don’t fit into categories 1 through 6 are lumped into category 7. These varied plastic resins include polycarbonate and bisphenol A, or “BPA”. Also included is PLA (polylactic acid) which is made from plants and is carbon neutral. Baby bottles, car parts, and sunglasses are all common examples of category 7 plastics.
These plastics are difficult, if not impossible, to recycle. There is not a large market for them, which increases the difficulty of completing the recycling process for these plastics.
While these codes are informative and useful, they don’t tell the whole story. (The intrigue continues!) If you see a “1” code on a plastic bag and assume your recycler or MRF accepts it, you may be contaminating the recycling stream and causing more problems than you realize. While your recycler might gladly accept category 1 bottles, any loose plastic wrap or bags—no matter their number—may not be acceptable.
Successful recycling depends entirely on what your local recycler accepts. What a facility in Plano accepts may be significantly different than what’s accepted in College Station. The key to being an effective and efficient recycler is to find out exactly what your local service accepts and what they don’t. Sometimes they will place information on your receptacle telling you what they can and can’t take. If not, an internet search should help you solve the mystery. Use this list of residential recycling programs in the 50 most-populated cities in Texas for more clues.
If you’d like a handy guide to decoding plastic recycling symbols, download our infographic.
