We all have seen it, the Recycling logo that screams, Throw me in the Recycling bin and I will be recycled! Well if you look more closely you would notice that in the middle of the chasing arrows there is a number. Do you know what those numbers represent? Well let me explain because it is very important to know.
#1 PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) – #1’s are usually Fizzy drink
bottles, oven-ready meal trays and water bottles . These items are
recycled at a rate of 19.5% the highest of all recycled items.
#2 HDPE (High-density polyethylene) – #2’s are Milk bottles, detergent
bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners and grocery, trash
and retail bags. These items are recycle at a rate of 10.7%, the second
highest of all recycled items.
#3 PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) – #3’s are Cling film (plastic food wrap),
vegetable oil bottles, loose-leaf binders and construction products such as
plastic pipes. These items are recycled at a rate of 0% which means, not
at all….so what’s the point of throwing them in the recycling bin?
#4 LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) – #4’s are typically Dry cleaning
bags, produce bags, trash can liners, bread bags, frozen food bags and
squeezable bottles, such as mustard and honey. These items are recycled
at a rate of 5.6%.
#5 PP (Polypropylene) – #5’s are Ketchup bottles, medicine bottles,
aerosol caps and drinking straws. These constantly used items are
recycled at a rate of 1.7% .
#6 PS (Polystyrene) – #6’s are Compact disc jackets, grocery store meat
trays, egg cartons, aspirin bottles, foam packaging peanuts and plastic
tableware. These items are recycled at a rate of 0.8%.
#7 Other – #7’s are Three- and five-gallon reusable water bottles, certain
kinds of food containers and Tupperware. These items are recycled at a
rate of 6.1%.
As you can see, recycling rates even for the most commonly recycled items are pretty low. Even though Recycling is important waste continues to accumulate in landfills, at sea, and shipped to other countries…that is why ENSO biodegradable and recyclable plastics are so important. For the ENSO plastic that does not end up getting recycled, at least it will biodegrade!