I recycle plastic. Surprisingly, it is a lot of work. For one thing, there are seven types of plastic and I am able to recycle only type 1 and type 2 plastics. The items I do recycle must be cleaned and I must remove the caps from eligible plastic bottles. Furthermore, I must haul the plastic to the transfer station in Helena and load the qualifying plastics into a bin there.
You will find the plastic type
marked within a triangle on the container.
Type 1 plastic (PET or PETE—polyethylene
terephthalate) is used to make bottles for water and other drinks. It’s also
used to make cooking oil containers, some plastic jars and containers for many food
items.
Type 2 plastic (HDPE--high
density polyethylene) is used to make milk jugs, shampoo bottles, cleaning
product containers and detergent bottles.
The other types of plastics are
either not recyclable or difficult to recycle:
- Type 3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl)
- Type 4: Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
- Type 5: Polypropylene (PP)
- Type 6: Polystyrene (PS or Styrofoam)
- Type 7: Other (Often a Mix of Types)
Part of the problem for
recycling has to do with the nature of manufacture. I read this in a post on National Geographic:
“There
are 2 types of plastics: thermoset vs. thermoplastics. Thermoplastics are
plastics that can be re-melted and re-molded into new products, and therefore,
recycled. However, thermoset plastics “contain polymers that cross-link to form
an irreversible chemical bond,” meaning that no matter how much heat you apply,
they cannot be remelted into new material and hence, non-recyclable.”
Additionally, the quality of
plastic deceases each time it is recycled.
For this reason, new virgin material is often added to recycled plastic
to maintain quality.
None of this is near as satisfying
as melting down aluminum cans in the campfire with my Aluminum Beer Can Melting
Guild pals. That has become one of my
favorite wintertime activities.
—Mitchell Hegman
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