Recycling Codes
Have you ever wondered what those little numbers enclosed by three arrows at the bottom of your plastics mean? There are seven plastic codes, and depending on the number, the plastic may or may not be recyclable by your local recycling facility. Read below to find out what is recyclable at Stanford. A more comprehensive guide is available here.
On campus, all bottles are recyclable.
On campus, all bottles are recyclable.
Plastic Type
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Recyclable on Campus?Yes! PET, or Polyethylene Terephthalate, is the most widely recycled and downcycled plastic. It is used for: fiber for carpet, fleece jackets, comforter fill, and tote bags; containers for food, beverages (bottles), and non-food items; film and sheet; and strapping. Yes! HDPE, high density polyethylene, is widely recycled and downcycled. It is used for: bottles for non-food items, such as shampoo, conditioner, liquid laundry detergent, household cleaners, motor oil and antifreeze; plastic lumber for outdoor decking, fencing and picnic tables; and pipe, floor tiles, buckets, crates, flower pots, garden edging, film and sheet, and recycling bins. Yes! PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, can be downcycled for: pipe, decking, fencing, paneling, gutters, carpet backing, floor tiles and mats, resilient flooring, mud flaps, cassette trays, electrical boxes, cables, traffic cones, garden hose, and mobile home skirting; and for packaging, film and sheet, and loose-leaf binders. Yes! LDPE, low-density polyethylene, can be downcycled but is rarely accepted. It can be used to make shipping envelopes, garbage can liners, floor tile, paneling, furniture, film and sheet, compost bins, trash cans, landscape timber, and outdoor lumber. Yes! PP, or polypropylene, can be downcycled but is rarely accepted. It can be used for: automobile applications, such as battery cases, signal lights, battery cables, brooms and brushes, ice scrapers, oil funnels, and bicycle racks, garden rakes, storage bins, shipping pallets, sheeting, trays. Only bottles of #6 are accepted on campus. Red cups are #6, and do not recycle on campus! PS, or polystyrene, is often used for single-use food service items. PS is the most difficult plastic to recycle: it is often contaminated by food (most disposable eating ware is PS) and is expensive (it costs more to recycle than to create from raw materials). Because PS cups are not recyclable, use cups that can be recycled if you must use a single-use item. Compostable products are also good, but only if you compost them. Yes! Other plastics, as well as compostable plastics, fall into the number 7 category. They are rarely recycled or downcycled but can be used for bottles and plastic lumber applications. |
Note: Downcycling is the conversion of waste materials (in this case, recycled waste) into new materials or products of lesser quality and reduced functionality. Downcycling prevents wasting potentially useful materials and fresh raw materials by reusing waste.
Source: Images are from theDailyGreen.com
