A User's Guide to Plastic
How to Recycle (Almost) Anything
(Photo by Joel Benjamin)
Plastic bags
Most stores that recycle
plastic grocery bags, including all Stop & Shop and Whole Foods
locations, will also accept other bags (for produce, newspapers, dry
cleaning) that are stamped with a "2" or "4" code. A few
municipalities, including Cambridge, will recycle the bags, too.
Ultra-durable Tyvek envelopes - the thin ones used by many shippers
that are nearly impossible to rip open - can be recycled through only a
few area municipalities, including Cambridge. However, Tyvek maker
DuPont takes back used envelopes through a mail-in program
866-338-9835, dupont.com).
CDs and CD cases
Some area municipal recycling services accept compact discs and their
cases. If yours does not, send them (including Blu-ray and HD DVD
discs) to the Salem, New Hampshire-based Compact Disc Recycling Center (cdrecyclingcenter.com), the recycling arm of a manufacturer of compact discs.
Ink and toner cartridges
Both
Cellphones
The Norwell-based nonprofit Cell Phones for Soldiers (800-426-1031,
cellphones for soldiers. com) raises money selling donated cellphones
to recyclers to buy phone cards for soldiers stationed overseas. All
kinds of mobile phones are accepted via mail and at drop-off points,
including many AT&T stores.
Computers
TecsChange (617-442-4456, tecschange.org),
a Roxbury-based nonprofit, uses an all-volunteer staff to refurbish
donated computers, then ships them around the world to social-justice
groups. Accepted items include CD-ROM drives, modems, small laser
printers, desktop computers, and laptops.
Juice-drink pouches
A combination of plastic and aluminum, the lunchbox staples are difficult to recycle. But a company called TerraCycle (terracycle.net)
is collecting the pouches and, depending on the juice brand, will
donate 1 or 2 cents per pouch to a charity you choose. It then turns
the waste into tote bags and pencil cases.
Foam packing peanuts
Polystyrene is notoriously difficult to recycle. But UPS Stores theupsstore.com)
accept packing peanuts for reuse, and some municipalities (Cambridge,
again) will recycle them. Another option: mailing the material to the
Alliance of Foam Packing Recyclers (epspackaging.org/info.html).
Plastic by the Numbers
Just because a plastic item is stamped with a "chasing arrows" symbol and a number does not mean it's recyclable. Here's what the numbers mean, and which categories your municipal curbside program is likeliest to take (as well as a few health notes about various plastics, all of which are regarded as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration).
1 Water and soft drink bottles, peanut butter jars, produce clamshells, and the like - clear, hard plastic called polyethylene terephthalate (PET, PETE) - are widely accepted by municipal recyclers.
2 Cloudy or solid-colored bottles used for water, milk, juice, shampoo, and household cleaners are often made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), as are some shopping bags, cereal box liners, and shipping containers. The bottles are widely accepted by municipal recyclers, and the bags by grocery stores.
3 Siding, flooring, fencing, medical tubing, kiddie pools, raincoats, and shower curtains are all made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC, also known as vinyl). These are not widely accepted for recycling. In addition, PVC is produced from vinyl chloride, a carcinogen, according to the EPA. And sometimes PVC contains phthalates, which are suspected endocrine disrupters, according to Mike Schade of the advocacy group Center for Health, Environment and Justice.
4 Bags used for newspapers, bread, dry cleaning, and produce as well as some shrink-wraps, toys, container lids, sandwich bags, squeezable bottles, many adhesives and sealants, and wire and cable coverings are made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE). LDPE is not often accepted by municipal programs, because it is difficult to process (for example, plastic bags getting caught on machinery), but the bags are usually accepted at grocery stores.
5 Flexible, strong containers for margarine, yogurt, and deli foods as well as diapers, medicine bottles, and many appliances are polypropylene (PP), which is not commonly recycled by municipal programs.
6 Polystyrene (PS), including the well-known brand Styrofoam, is used for cups, plates, takeout containers, egg cartons, meat and poultry trays, foam packaging, and insulation, and is not commonly recycled by municipal programs. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, PS may leach styrene, a potential carcinogen, into food.
7 A catchall classification for "other" polycarbonate plastics, including many 3- and 5-gallon water jugs, some hard-plastic water and baby bottles, oven-baking bags, car seats, and stain-resistant food containers. These are rarely recycled in municipal programs. Some of these items are made using a potentially harmful chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA).
Plastic Questions Answered
What are bioplastics? Should I use them?
Bioplastics are derived from renewable resources such as corn - currently the most common - and tapioca, sugar cane, and wheat. The main advantage of these alt-plastics is they're manufactured without petroleum, says Darby Hoover of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental research and lobbying group.
Sounds great, but there are concerns. Bioplastics should not be recycled, and can wreak havoc if they find their way into recycling streams. They shouldn't be thrown away, either, since they are designed to degrade in commercial composting facilities, not landfills. "A bioplastic bag won't break down easily in the ocean or in a forest or landfill," Hoover says.
Bottom line Strange as it seems, it's better for the environment to reuse (as many times as possible) and then recycle a bag you already own.
Is it safe to refill single-use water bottles?
The bottles are safe to reuse as long as they're cleaned with hot, soapy water and thoroughly dried every time you refill them, to quell potential bacteria growth, says Jennifer Killinger of the American Chemistry Council. (She adds that the results of extensive testing have demonstrated that polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is safe for both single and repeated use.) However, scientists have expressed concern over the fact that wear and tear can degrade the plastic over time, potentially causing chemicals, including a trace metal called antimony (harmful at high exposure levels), to leach. Bottom line Reusing a clean bottle in a pinch (before recycling it) is unlikely to be harmful.
What's the latest on Bisphenol A (BPA)?
Last month, the FDA released a draft report stating that the controversial chemical found in some baby bottles and many hard-sided water bottles and lined canned goods as well as other types of food packaging is safe at "current levels of exposure from food contact uses." (Items made with BPA usually bear the resin-code number "7" - though since it's the catchall "other" category, not all of the plastics in this group contain the chemical.) Environmental groups took issue with the findings, saying that the FDA relied largely on industry-funded studies, and continue to encourage limiting or eliminating exposure to products containing BPA. "Hundreds of different studies have shown the hormone-disrupting chemical to be associated with adverse effects such as cancer, infertility, and hyperactivity," says Anila Jacob, a senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group. And a new study, published two weeks ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association, linked higher BPA levels in the body to increased incidence of heart disease and diabetes. Bottom line It doesn't hurt to be cautious. Jacob suggests using glass or BPA-free bottles and avoiding lined canned foods.
Jenna Pelletier is an editor at Rhode Island Monthly magazine. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.
