What Type of Plastic Makes Up the Bulk of Recycled Plastics?

Background

• In 1988, The Society of the Plastic Industries, a trade association for U.S. plastic manufacturers, introduced the resin identification coding system for plastic. These codes, which appear as a number inside a triangle on the bottom of most plastic household containers, indicate the type of plastic resin used to make the container. Most recycling programs accept numbers 1 and 2 plastics for recycling.

Polyethylene Terephthalate

• In 2009, consumers recycled 1,444 million pounds of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, making it the most commonly recycled plastic. PET makes good packaging material because it's inexpensive, lightweight, shatter-resistant and recyclable. PET packaging includes soda, water, juice, beer and vegetable oil bottles, and peanut butter and salad dressing containers. PET, sometimes listed as PETE, has been classified as a number 1 plastic.

High Density Polyethylene

• With more than 981 million pounds recycled in 2009, high density polyethylene, or HDPE, bottles represent the second most commonly recycled plastic. HDPE offers toughness, stiffness and ease of forming, and can be pigmented or unpigmented. HDPE containers include milk, juice and water bottles; bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles; trash and grocery bags; butter and margarine tubs; and household cleaner bottles. HDPE has been classified as a number 2 plastic.

Polypropylene

• Polypropylene, or PP, found commonly in yogurt containers, syrup and ketchup bottles, caps, straws and medicine bottles, has long been the bane of serious recyclers. Not many recycling programs include PP containers, but Whole Foods locations have started collecting them for recycle. Consumers only recycled 27 million tons of PP containers in 2009. PP has been classified as a number 5 plastic.