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Plastic Recycling
Does the shape of the plastic make a difference?
Greensboro's recycling program accepts all plastic bottles and jugs and rigid plastics. Shape matters! Plastics that are not bottle-shaped, such as margarine tubs or yogurt containers, are not recyclable. Neither are plastic bags, take-out containers, or plastic lids.
What’s a bottle?
Look for a "neck" that separates the body of the bottle from where the cap or lid is located; bottles have a mouth or opening that is narrower than the base. If the opening is the same size or larger than the bottom, i.e., a yogurt container, it is not a bottle and cannot be recycled. Soda bottles, milk jugs, and detergent containers are all bottles.
Aren’t they the same plastic regardless of shape?
Plastics with the same resin code are in the same family of plastics but they have different chemical properties. The manufacturing processes used to create the different shapes results in containers with incompatible properties. Bottles and jugs are made though a process called blow-molding. Other plastic containers, such as margarine tubs, are made through a process called injection-molding. When plastic resins produced by different processes are mixed together, the resulting product is not usable for either application in the future.
Why do plastic jars have recycling symbols if they can not be recycled?
The recycling symbol on plastic bottles is actually a plastic resin code that was implemented in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI). Although the symbol implies that the item is recyclable, its only purpose is to identify the plastic resin used to make the item.
The recycling symbol is not copyrighted or regulated and can be placed on any item – whether it’s recyclable or not.
What are rigid plastics?
Rigid plastics are hard plastics and include the following items:
- One- and five-gallon buckets
- Milk and soda crates
- Laundry baskets
- Lawn furniture
- Plastic toys
- Plastic totes
- Pet carriers and litter boxes
- Cleaned empty garbage cans (any size)
- Rinsed plastic drums (any size)
- Plastic pallets, nursery trays and flower pots
- Plastic five-gallon water bottles
- Plastic outdoor toys (sandboxes, slides, play kitchens)
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