Our city-wide recycling program only took plastics labeled #1 or #2 which left #3 - #7 destined for the trash can. I was excited when a new recycling program popped up that accepted all plastics and I have dutifully been placing them all in my blue recycling bin. I have recently found out that very little of my waste gets recycled and much of it gets shipped off the third world countries where it is burnt as fuel or simply dumped in a landfill. Imagine the air quality from all of that burning plastic. Yum.The truth is that only plastics #1 and #2 are easily recycled domestically and even then they have a limited life as a bag or lumber. Plastics #3 - #7 are generally not recyclable with the exception of Recycline's efforts to turn plastic #5 into toothbrushes, razors and kitchen gadgets. The rest gets shipped overseas.
Additionally, if a bale of "good" #1 or #2 plastic gets tainted by a #3 or #4, the whole thing is no good and becomes rubbish. There simply is not enough of a demand in this country for recycled plastics as long as virgin materials are plentiful and less expensive to process.
So, what options do we have as consumers? Many of our readers have said it again and again: waste less. This means making smart choices when bringing anything into our homes. Reuse containers, buy in bulk and if you must buy a new jar, go for glass.
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