So how does this relate to recycling?  Well, recyclers sometimes use this information to sort plastics for recycling.

When it comes to recycling plastics, where you live makes a difference.  Recycling facilities may not be available in all areas — check to see if they exist in your community.  Some communities collect specific plastic products in curbside recycling programs while others may offer drop-off programs at community recycling centers — and even recycling bins at neighborhood retail stores.

Here’s a list of the types of plastics, common packaging products made from them and some products that may be made with recycled plastic

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) or (PET)
Uses of PET include: bottles for soft drinks, water, sports drinks, beer, mouthwash, and salad dressing, food jars for peanut butter, jelly, and pickles. Products made with recycled content include: oven safe film, microwavable food trays fiber for carpet, fleece jackets, comforter fill, and tote bags, containers for food, beverages (bottles), and non-food items.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Uses of HDPE include: bottles for milk, water, juice, cosmetics, shampoo, dish and laundry detergents, and household cleaners, containers for margarine and other foods, cereal box liners., trash and retail bags. Products made with recycled content include: 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, pipe, floor tiles, buckets, crates, flower pots, garden edging, and recycling bins.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, Vinyl)

Uses of PVC include: deli and meat wrap, shrink wrap, retail product packaging (blister packs). Products made with recycled content include: pipe, decking, fencing, paneling, gutters, carpet backing, floor tiles and mats, resilient flooring, mud flaps, cassette trays, electrical boxes, cables, traffic cones, garden hoses, and mobile home skirting, packaging and loose-leaf binders.

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Uses of LDPE include: bags for dry cleaning, newspapers, bread, frozen foods, fresh produce and household garbage, shrink wrap and stretch film, coatings for paper milk cartons and hot and cold beverage cups, container lids and squeezable bottles (e.g. honey, mustard). Products made with recycled content include: shipping envelopes, garbage can liners, floor tile, paneling, furniture, compost bins, trash cans, landscape timber, and outdoor lumber.

Polypropylene (PP)

Uses of PP include: Containers for yogurt, margarine, take out meals, and deli foods, bottle caps and closures, bottles for medicine, syrup, ketchup. Products made with recycled content include: 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, and trays.

Polystyrene (PS)

Uses of PS include: food service items such as cups, plates, bowls, cutlery, and hinged take-out containers, meat and poultry trays, egg cartons, and food containers, protective packaging for electronics, furniture and other delicate items, packing peanuts, compact disc cases, and aspirin bottles. Products made with recycled content include: thermal insulation, thermometers, light switch plates, vents, desk trays, and license plate frames, cameras or video cassette casings, foamed food service applications, such as egg shell carton, plastic moldings (i.e., wood replacement products), expandable polystyrene (EPS) foam protective packaging.

Other (indicates that a package is made with a resin other than the six listed above or is made of more than one resin.)

Uses of Other include: three- and five-gallon reusable water bottles and some citrus juice and ketchup bottles. Products made with recycled content include: bottles and plastic lumber applications.

Innovative uses of recycled plastics are multiplying. In the not-too-distant future, the plastic water bottle you recycle one day may show up in your next car. One of Hyundai’s latest concept cars is a crossover coup vehicle called the QarmaQ. A key feature in the QarmaQ is its innovative use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles to create a large portion of the vehicle’s skin. According to GE, the use of plastics, instead of more traditional metal and glass, reduces the weight of the vehicle by 130 pounds. That weight loss translates to 20 gallons in annual fuel savings.

Car seat upholstery also can be made from recycled plastic. And a lot more of the plastics used in today’s cars are being recovered and recycled at the end of the vehicle’s useful life.

Less obvious uses of recycled plastics include the materials that make our homes comfortable and attractive. Mohawk, a leading U.S. carpet manufacturer, recycles nearly three billion plastic bottles each year. Plastic bottles are sorted, ground into fine chips, and then cleaned. These chips are then melted and extruded into fiber and spun into carpet yarn.

If recycled plastic is not on your floor, it may be in your back yard. Composite lumber made from recycled plastic and sawdust is extremely durable and requires very little maintenance. For these reasons and its design capabilities, composite lumber is often a favorite for building decks and fences.

For example, Trex® decking, railing and fencing has all the natural beauty of wood, but doesn’t rot or splinter the way wood can. Trex® composite lumber helps keep about 300,000 tons of plastic and wood scrap out of landfills every year – that results in approximately 600,000,000 pounds annually. And no trees have to be cut to make this innovative decking material. Trex® wood is reclaimed from woodworking operations, used pallets and sawdust to the tune of 300 million pounds a year.

More surprising still, you may be wearing recycled plastic. From high fashion runways to bargain basement stores, “Plastic is the new Black”. Warm fleece jackets, trendy shoes and everyday t-shirts are now being made from fibers spun from recycled plastics. H&M is featuring recycled plastics as part of its line of environmentally friendly fashions. Sears is offering men’s suits made from recycled plastic bottles and faux fur, sequins and sky-high heels made possible by plastics are gracing the runways at fashion events from Los Angeles to New York. (To see more cutting-edge concepts plastics fashions, be sure to check out entries to the Plastics Make it PossibleSM and Gen Art design contest.

Remember that it’s easy to be part recycling movement year round. For tips on how to recycle more of the plastics you use, see Plastics Make it Possible’s How to Guide for Recycling Plastics.

1. Find out which plastics are accepted for recycling in your area and where they can be taken. Though recycling varies throughout the country, most community programs collect plastic bottles, and many grocery and retail chains offer bins for recycling used plastic bags.

Bottles: Today, more than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a recycling program, and the vast majority of them collect plastic bottles. For recycling purposes, a bottle is any container with a neck or an opening that’s smaller than its base. Include the following wherever plastic bottles are recycled:

• Milk jugs

• Beverage bottles (e.g., water, soft drinks, juice and beer)

• Bottles from shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent and other household cleaners

• Salad dressing, cooking oil and condiment bottles

• Food jars, such as peanut butter and mayonnaise

Bags: Many grocery and retail stores now offer plastic bag drop-off programs that allow consumers to return their used bags and product wraps to be recycled at collection areas located at the front entrance or near the store checkout. All clean bags labeled #2 (HDPE) or #4 (LLDPE) are recyclable, including:

• Grocery bags

• Retail bags (remove hard plastic or string handles)

• Plastic newspaper bags

• Dry cleaning bags (remove paper and hangers)

• Bread bags (with crumbs shaken out)

• You can also include plastic wraps from products such as paper towels, bathroom paper, napkins and diapers wherever plastic bags are collected for recycling

Visit www.plasticbagrecycling.org for a list of stores that offer plastic bag recycling in your state.

2. Clean and empty. Bags should be clean and empty. Do not include plastic food wrap, bags that have food residue, or material that has been painted or glued (other than the inks on the bag).

3. Bring them back to the bin. Many bottles and bags are used away from home so it’s important to bring them back to the recycle bin. Here’s how: when you’re out and about, store them in a backpack or briefcase, or simply leave them in the car until they arrive home or at the grocery store. And don’t forget to put the cap back on the bottles to prevent any residue from leaking out until you can properly recycle the bottle.

4. Store bags in a bag. Storing plastic bags and product wraps in a plastic bag offers neat, convenient storage. Simply knot the handles when you’re ready to drop them off at your local grocer or retailer.

5. Pitch in beyond the kitchen. While many recyclable bottles come from the kitchen, don’t forget to check the bathrooms and laundry room for shampoo and detergent bottles.

6. Reuse those bags! There are many helpful ways to reuse plastic bags, such as:

• Wet umbrella cover – keep other items in your bag dry when your umbrella is wet

• Suitcase savers – wrap shoes before packing them with clean clothes

• Hand protectors – place them over your hands to handle messes indoors and out

• Kitchen clean-up – place them under the cutting board for quick scrap removal

• Trash can liners – use them in bathrooms and other household waste baskets

• Doggie duty – bring them on dog walks to collect and dispose of pet waste

7. When in doubt, leave it out. In addition to bottles, a growing number of communities are collecting and recycling plastic containers, such as yogurt cups, tubs, trays and lids. But keep in mind that mixing the wrong types of materials (even other plastics) can lower the quality of the recycled material. A growing number of plastics recycling programs also accept rigid containers that don’t fit the “bottle “ description — make sure to find out what type of containers are acceptable. And remember – put plastic caps back on bottles and containers since now recyclers want those, too. Keep these items out of the recycle bin unless your community specifically accepts them:

• No plastic bags or wraps (take them to your grocery store, if accepted)

• No automotive, pesticide or solvent bottles

• No toys

• No trays, tubs or containers (unless your community asks for them; more and more communities are recycling these types of containers in addition to bottles, so it’s worth checking.)

8. Bridge the second generation gap. It’s important to remember that recycled plastics go on to become second generation products. Bottles are used to make hundreds of everyday items, ranging from fleece jackets and carpeting to detergent bottles and lumber for outdoor decking. Plastic bags can also be made into many products, including new bags, durable backyard decks, fencing, railing, park benches, picnic tables, and shopping carts.

For more information about plastic bottle recycling, please visit www.plasticsresource.com.

For more information about plastic bag recycling, please visit www.plasticbagrecycling.org.