Plastics Recycling Chart
What do those number symbols on plastic really mean? And why are the numbers inside the triangles so small? Find out which plastics are safe and which ones may leak chemicals, and how to recycle with a Plastics Identification Chart.
Interestingly, the number symbols that you see inside triangles on plastic bottles and containers were not meant to help us identify which ones to recycle. This number system was started by the Society of Plastics Industry (SPI) to simply identify the plastic resin content. Maybe that’s why the numberes are so hard to see!
It gets more complicated because every local recycling facility collects different types of plastics and you need to contact your recycle to know which plastics get collected.
Bottom-line, there are seven types of plastics. Generally, most recyclers accept plastics #1 and #2. Plastics #3 to #6 are more difficult to recycle and some recycling centers do not process them. Plastic #7 is even more difficult to recycle and almost always excluded.
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Plastics Identification and Recycling Chart
Here are the seven standard classifications for plastics, and the recycling and reuse information for each type.
Did your eyes glaze over with that chart? To help, here is more information about the different types of plastics to better understand which ones are safe and which are toxic for food and drink consumption.
#1: PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
Water bottles and plastic soda bottles are the most common containers made out of PET. It’s fine to recycle.
However, avoid reusing plastic containers made of PET. Why? PET is meant for single-use applications; repeated use increases the risk of leaching and bacterial growth. Plus, it’s very difficult to clean or remove harmful chemicals. PET may leach carcinogens.
#2: HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene)
Most milk jugs, detergent containers, and oil bottles are made from HDPE. It’s a very common plastic and one of the safest to use. It’s also fully recyclable.
#3: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
PVC is used for a lot of plastic food wrapping because it’s soft and flexible. Most consumer recyclers will not take PVC products. Also, avoid reusing PVC products, especially when it comes to food or for children’s use. They contain toxins which leach throughout its entire life cycle.
#4: LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene)
LDPE is usually what plastic bags are made from. You’ll also find LDPE in shrink wraps, dry cleaner garment bags, and other items.
Though most plastic bags are not recyclable, some companies and recycling centers have found alternatives or are investigating how to recycle plastic bags given their harmfulness to the environment.
LDPE is reusable and safe to repurpose.
#5: PP (Polypropylene)
Polypropylene plastic is used in those margarine and yogurt containers, potato chip bags, cereal bags, and much more.
Polypropylene is recyclable, although many recyclers still don’t accept it. PP is considered safe for reuse.
#6: PS (Polystyrene)
Avoid polystyrene as best as possible. It’s used for disposable styrofoam drinking cups, take-out containers, packing peanuts, and more.
Polystyrene is not generally recyclable and accounts for about 35% of US landfill material. Because it breaks apart so easily, it’s often found inside marine animals’ stomachs and littering our beaches.
Avoid reusing polystyrene. Chemicals present in polystyrene have been linked with human health and reproductive system dysfunction. Polystyrene may leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen, into food products (especially when heated in a microwave).
#7: Polycarbonate, BPA, and Other Plastics
Assume that nothing with the #7 number can be recycled or reused. BPA can leak chemicals. It’s an xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor.
We hope this article has been helpful in introducing the different types of plastics. It’s certainly a little more complicated than it needs to be!
Consider this last question: A kid buys a plastic beverage bottle. It’s tossed in the trash and buried in a landfill where it will take over 400 years to decompose. However, if that beverage bottle is recycled, it can be transformed back into the same plastic pellets used to make it in the first place. Yes, it still takes some energy to recycle, but this bottle’s life is not over and it is part of a “cycle” in which natural resources do not go to waste. Before you toss something in the trash, be sure to ask yourself: “Is this really garbage?”
Interested in using less plastic? Learn ways to garden with less plastic.
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After reading through the comments, I'll add that in my community (Broward County, FL) the cities and county no longer recycle ANYTHING. They burn what used to be recycled. Some waste is dumped on an ever growing mountain of garbage while supposed recycle items are burned. I still don't know how they discern the differences. I live about 8 miles from the facility which burns all recycle materials which is deemed "safe" because the temperature of the burn is so intense. Just waiting for that pollution shoe to drop. It is virtually impossible to avoid plastic containers and utensils. Miami Beach has an ordinance banning plastic straws, just not sure it is a difference maker at this point, with the uncontrollable Spring Breakers. Sadly the efforts are NOT unified by city, county, state. The actions should be federal.
Can headlight assembles be recycled ?
Hi William, Thanks for your question. There is a chance that some pieces of your headlight assembly can be recycled. It all depends on the materials that were used to make it. Without knowing the materials, it is difficult to say what, if any, can be recycled. Your best approach would be to talk to an employee at your local recycling center to see what they will accept.
Knowing that we have a plastics problem and there is so many single use plastics, why aren't we coming up with ways to eliminate this problem, we should make all plastics to be recyclable, I can't find an answer to this question?
Cathy you know the answer!🤐👉🏻💰💵💰💵! Same reason why sooo many things in history had every politician/Dr's swear by it & even say it was " very healthy to smoke/ ingest or use!" Then decades later it comes out that it's been killing 100's of thousands of people...
It's because cash is king & plastic is cheap. China stopped buying the used plastic years back, it became more costly to ship it back then buying cheap new plastic, since then very little is actually recycled. Also people don't know & most who do don't care enough to make change.
I also think the handful of Asian oligarchs who own almost all of the plastic factories & pellet plants in the world, spend a lot of money keeping people quiet. There's a documentary on the plastic factory in Texas, it details the massive destruction it has had on the cities in the surrounding areas, the people & wildlife as well!
Hey Cathy,
I couldn't agree more. I have found that states have funding that can help businesses create more sustainable business practices but it is limited on who can apply and the application window is not always open. Avoiding plastic will remain the best way to lower plastic pollution. I think we need more legislation that requires education around the topic of plastic so the public can make more informed decisions and would feel more compelled to support a no plastic movement.
How about the caps of #2 bottles? I have a #2 Tylenol bottle and will recycle it, but don't know if I can include the screw-on cap.
Is the #3 plastics (pvc) the only one that contains pvc? If not, which other plastics contain pvc? I’m asking because I need a temporary storage for coins and pvc will damage them…
I'm a volunteer archivist, and I've had to educate myself about plastics. The chloride in Poly-vinyl-chloride (#3) is chlorine. PVC is constantly off-gassing chlorine and it's very corrosive. It's damaging to coins, stamps, baseball cards, family photos, and anything else you store in those clear plastic pocket-pages and page protectors. The manufacturers have realized this and are now making them out of Polypropylene (#5), and they're finally labeling the package with the type of plastic. If it's not labeled, contact the manufacturer and ask what it's made of. Most of what I'm finding in office supply stores these days is #5, but there might still be some #3 for sale in some of the bargain shops. The National Park Service has a great collection of publications called "Conserv-o-grams" that you can access on line, including a good one on archivally stable plastics. For safe storage you want Polypropylene, and if you can't get that, go for Polyethylene (#2 or #4). If I've made any mistakes here, someone please let me know.
Every city, county and state has its own rules about what can and cannot be recycled; different systems can handle different plastics, and governments may face higher net recycling costs for some plastics than for others, since they are not all equally in demand in the commercial resale market. In central NC, for instance, #2, 4, and 5 are all routinely recycled, but #1, 3, 6 and 7 are not - completely different rules than the ones in the third paragraph of this article. There's also the question of what to do with the lids and bottle caps. Bottom line: ASK someone in your city or county government who handles solid waste removal.
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