Plastics recycling 101

Aug 18, 2023

The community where I live, Van Buren Township, Mich., recently negotiated a new solid waste collection contract. The bad news is now we're paying $165.84 per year for service. It used to be free in exchange for hosting a landfill.

But there's good news, too. We all received brand-new 64-gallon recycling carts for free! This is, by far, the biggest recycling container I've ever owned.

Getting a new container prompted discussion about what we can recycle. I pay close attention to these things, since I've been writing about plastics recycling a long time.

I was thrilled to see the new containers came with instructions, plus there's a summary right on the lid. But it was kind of a letdown that the instructions still left some room for interpretation.

The lid says that WM accepts "plastic bottles, jugs and jars." But the written instructions say they accept "clean, empty & rinsed plastics containers, plastics Nos. 1, 2, 5, jugs, bottles."

Those descriptions don't mean the same thing. So I called the township for clarification and had a delightful discussion about plastics packaging.

"Turn over the container and look for a number," I was told. I laughed. Yes, I'm familiar with the resin ID code. Don't critics want to get rid of that? "Look for the number, and we only want ones, twos and fives."

I understand that, I said. But do you just want bottles? Thermoformed PET containers have a No. 1, and polypropylene margarine containers have a No. 5. Are those recycled?

More good news, the answer was yes.

I'm excited about our new bin, which I'm going to keep shiny and clean for as long as possible. Since it's a lot bigger and has a lid, I'm hoping it cuts down on trash-day litter.

My colleagues at Sustainable Plastics magazine have created a cool new web feature: a page that tracks chemical recycling projects around the world.

It started as a timeline that SP Editor Karen Laird prepared for one of the brand's Plastics Recycling Shows. The timeline also appeared in print, and we talked about it in a recent editorial livestream.

Karen and Associate Editor Beatriz Santos improved on the timeline with the web tracker. The new page includes a brief description of every project, along with a link for more information. This is a great resource and will be updated frequently.

Registration and housing for NPE2024, the biggest plastics show in the Americas, opens on Sept. 12. That's less than two weeks away.

NPE2024 is scheduled for May 6-10, 2024, in Orlando, Fla.'s Orange County Convention Center.

NPE is organized by the Washington-based Plastics Industry Association. They are usually on a three-year cycle, but the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2021 show. So this will be the first one since May 2018.

The Plastics Industry Association says this NPE will be a "completely reimagined experience" with new offerings. There are early-bird discounts, and hotel space close to the convention center tends to fill up fast, so check out the NPE website for more information.

Jim Johnson covered recycling plans for the show last week. Watch Plastics News for lots more NPE news.

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