Types of Recyclable Bottles

While over 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a curb-side or drop-off recycling program, manufacturing demands for recycled items are not currently being met. In addition, a tremendous increase in recycling businesses within the past decade means more businesses rely on you to recycle. Earth911.com, an environmental advocacy group, reports that 10,000 tons of recycled products creates 36 jobs in the community. To reap the environmental and social benefits of recycling bottles, your participation is a must. The first step is to understand what can be recycled and what can not.

Plastic

• Recycling one ton of these plastic bottles would save over 3.8 barrels of oil.

  The most commonly recycled plastic bottles are made of PET (Polyethylene termpephthalate) or HDPE (high density polyethylene). Plastic soda and water bottles are two examples of recyclable PET plastics. Thicker plastic bottles, for milk or laundry detergent, are made of HDPE plastics. Standard medical prescription bottles are recyclable, as long as the plastic cap is discarded and personal information is removed. Finally, deli containers, yogurt cups, and other wide-mouth containers are considered plastic bottles and recyclable. A uniform coding system has been established for consumers, so to easily identify recyclable bottles. Plastic bottles marked with roman numeral #1 or a #2 on the neck or base are recyclable.

Glass

• Every day, Americans recycle almost 13 million glass jars and bottles.

  Glass bottles and jars in the following colors are recyclable: brown, amber, blue, green, or clear. Other types of glass, like porcelain and mirror glass, are not recyclable. Glass bottles might be the easiest bottle to recycle, with no need to check for numbered codes. Just make sure to rinse out bottles and jars and throw away caps, lids, or corks before tossing in the recycling bin.

Considerations

• Community recycling programs do not always accept the same items for donation. Check with your local program first to see whether they accept all or only some of these bottle types.

Benefits

• Recycling glass helps save natural resources, like valuable limestone.

  Recycling plastic bottles not only reduces the use and size of landfills, but it supports businesses who make their products out of recycled plastic. Recycled plastic bottles are used to make fleece jackets, carpet and outdoor lumber. Its potential for reuse is what makes recycled plastic so valuable, and the side effects of reduced oil usage and land fill overflow makes recycling plastic very beneficial. Approximately 80 percent of recycled glass bottles return to life as new glass bottles. And while a glass bottle could spend one million years in a landfill, a recycled glass bottle is back on the shelf as a new glass container in under thirty days. Ultimately, by recycling one ton of glass bottles, we save one ton of important natural resources like limestone and feldspar.