Beginning May 1, 2010 curbside recycling expands to include plastics #1 - #7
Beginning May 1, West Hartford residents may now recycle plastics numbered 1 through 7 in addition to paper, glass, and aluminum/tin. (No black plastics, no Styrofoam or other foam plastics, please.) The rules for plastics numbered 1 through 7 are easy: rinse clean any food or beverage container that is three gallons or smaller. (No plastic film, such as food wrap, sandwich bags, dry-cleaning bags, trash bags and shopping bags.) More information is also available at http://www.westhartford.org/publicworks Click here for chart of recyclables.
The following is a list of examples of plastics numbered 1 through 7 and products they are manufactured into:
Number 1 Plastics -- PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
* Found In: Soft drinks, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; oven-safe food trays
* Recycled Into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers
Number 2 Plastics -- HDPE (high density polyethylene)
* Found In: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; cereal box liners
* Recycled Into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing
Number 3 Plastics -- V (Vinyl) or PVC
* Found In: Window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging
* Recycled Into: Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats
Number 4 Plastics -- LDPE (low density polyethylene)
* Found In: Squeezable bottles; frozen food containers
* Recycled Into: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile
Number 5 Plastics -- PP (polypropylene)
* Found In: Some yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws, medicine bottles
* Recycled Into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays
Number 6 Plastics -- PS (polystyrene)
* Found In: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles
* Recycled Into: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers
Number 7 Plastics -- Miscellaneous
* Found In: Water bottles, certain food containers
* Recycled Into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products
Recycling of these additional materials became possible when markets for plastics numbered 3 through 7 developed to the point where reliable long-term customers for these materials were available. Recycling depends on the ability to sell recycled materials to processors who manufacture them into new products. Those revenues enable CRRA to operate the recycling program without charging towns a disposal fee for their recyclables.
The state Solid Waste Management Plan, which CRRA is charged with implementing, calls for increasing the state’s recycling rate from its current level of about 30 percent to 58 percent by the year 2024. The state’s recycling rate includes items not managed by CRRA, such as deposit container redemption, composting of grass clippings, yard waste and food, and recycling of other commodities including scrap metal, waste oil, lead-acid batteries.The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is a quasi-public agency whose mission is to work for – and in – the best interests of the municipalities of the state of Connecticut.
