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Thanks RP -- that is nice to now about the bag zippers.
I was so excited to learn this! (Strange, the things that excite me nowadays.) Other plastics that can be collected and deposited in the bag bins at the grocery store include
Ziploc® Bags (clean and dry)
Plastic grocery bags
Plastic retail bags
Newspaper bags
Dry-cleaning bags
Bread bags and produce bags
Toilet paper, napkin and paper-towel wraps
Plastic shipping envelopes
All clean bags labeled #2 or #4
A lot of this kind of stuff we have already eliminated during our transition away from plastics, but it's good what to do with any that are still hanging around the house from previous purchases.
As for the rest of your post, all I have to say is ... Ew! Around here, anything that holds meat goes through the dishwasher, no exceptions.
Yeah I tend to throw a lot of that stuff in with my plastic grocery bags too; the supermarket I worked at recycled all its plastic which wrapped over cases of product which went on the shelf, and the bags customers brought in for recycling were thrown in with it. That tells me many kinds of thin plastic can be recycled together, including plastic which wraps consumer products.
Yeah I tend to throw a lot of that stuff in with my plastic grocery bags too; the supermarket I worked at recycled all its plastic which wrapped over cases of product which went on the shelf, and the bags customers brought in for recycling were thrown in with it. That tells me many kinds of thin plastic can be recycled together, including plastic which wraps consumer products.
I really wish more people knew what could go in those bins, but it doesn't seem to be common knowledge.
Yeah, I didn't know that the other kinds of plastic can go in those as well. The funny (or sad really) part is that I cannot put those in my recycle bin that goes to the curb. It specifically says no grocery store plastic bags. Just hard plastic with the recycle symbol.
Well, there's little I can do about commercial use, but I find that at the household level I'm consuming less and less single-use plastic after dramatically changing my shopping habits. Although not everyone has this option, I'm very lucky to live in an area with a number of bulk grocers. I fill my own glass canning jar with peanut butter directly from the grinder. At the salad and olive bars, I fill glass jars with a variety of condiments, while others (e.g., mustard and chocolate syrup) I make at home from ingredients bought plastic-free. I fill my own flip-top glass bottles with olive oil and salad vinegars. Hemp bags replace plastic bags at the bulk bins, and I've reduced the number of produce bags I need by placing items directly into a lined wicker basket and replaced the ones I do need with reusable cotton mesh bags. Our milk is delivered in glass bottles.
On the go, I keep a bag in the car with a couple of stainless-steel containers for leftovers and everybody has a SS water bottle. I also have a few sets of bamboo utensils to avoid disposable cutlery, but we typically eat at restaurants that provide non-plastic tableware.
Personal care items can be challenging, but I've recently found a store that sells toilet paper wrapped in paper. Bar soap is also sold unwrapped at some stores. A specialty shop in a small town to the north of me sells shampoo and conditioner from liquid bulk containers, but bar shampoos, either unwrapped or in paper, are generally easier to find.
Cleaning supples are no trouble at all, because daily cleaning rarely requires more than a little Castile soap, which can be found in bulk; vinegar, which is sold in glass; and baking soda, which comes in a recyclable or compostable cardboard box. A little lemon juice from real lemons and a touch of olive oil makes a terrific furniture polish, but a swipe with a moist cloth is most often all that's necessary. I make my own laundry soap from items that are sold in paper.
Clothing is very difficult, because 100% natural fibers are hard to find, and I live in a part of the country where fleece is a way of life.
There are other things I haven't yet been able to work around -- and some that I'll never be able to excise from my life -- but everyday I find new plastic-free goods. When I don't have any options other than a plastic container, I make sure that it's recyclable in my community and dispose of it properly once it's served its purpose.
Plastic is highly reusable product. And we can easily recycle it to make new products.
Well, yes and no. For recycling purposes the plastics industry divides their products into the 7 recycling categories that correspond to the triangular recycling codes molded into the bottom. Some are recycled, some are not. Mostly not, unfortunately.
#1 – PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) Mostly used for water and soda bottles; can be recycled into fibers for fleece jackets, carpets. About 25% is recycled.
#2 – HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) Milk jugs, detergent bottles; recycled into plastic lumber, truck bed liners.
#3 – PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Clear plastic food wrap, blister packaging, children's blow-up toys; less than 1% is recycled.
#4 – LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) Dry cleaner bags, shrink wrap films, squeezable bottles; can be recycled into plastic lumber and floor tiles, but many recycling facilities do not accept LDPE
#5 – PP (Polypropylene) Yogurt and margarine containers, potato chip and cereal bags; can be recycled into landscaping borders, battery cases, bins and trays, but many recyclers do not accept PP and only about 3% is recycled.
#6 – PS (Polystyrene) Clamshell fast food containers, insulated cups, egg cartons, packing "peanuts"; not readily recycled.
#7 – Other (BPA, Polycarbonate and LEXAN) Everything else... not recycled.
IOW, only categories #1 and #2 are really recycled in sufficient quantities to make a significant difference. The rest mostly wind up in the landfill. Or floating around in the ocean where they get ingested by wild life.
There is no problem with plastic except the lack of education on its uses, reclamation and reuse.
The energy needed to recycle, reuse or reclaim plastics pales in comparison to the energy to do the same with most other materials, including organic ones.
Well, yes and no. For recycling purposes the plastics industry divides their products into the 7 recycling categories that correspond to the triangular recycling codes molded into the bottom. Some are recycled, some are not. Mostly not, unfortunately.
#1 – PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) Mostly used for water and soda bottles; can be recycled into fibers for fleece jackets, carpets. About 25% is recycled.
#2 – HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) Milk jugs, detergent bottles; recycled into plastic lumber, truck bed liners.
#3 – PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Clear plastic food wrap, blister packaging, children's blow-up toys; less than 1% is recycled.
#4 – LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) Dry cleaner bags, shrink wrap films, squeezable bottles; can be recycled into plastic lumber and floor tiles, but many recycling facilities do not accept LDPE
#5 – PP (Polypropylene) Yogurt and margarine containers, potato chip and cereal bags; can be recycled into landscaping borders, battery cases, bins and trays, but many recyclers do not accept PP and only about 3% is recycled.
#6 – PS (Polystyrene) Clamshell fast food containers, insulated cups, egg cartons, packing "peanuts"; not readily recycled.
#7 – Other (BPA, Polycarbonate and LEXAN) Everything else... not recycled.
IOW, only categories #1 and #2 are really recycled in sufficient quantities to make a significant difference. The rest mostly wind up in the landfill. Or floating around in the ocean where they get ingested by wild life.
#3 is also what most white plastic water and waste pipes in your house are made out of... Would be nice if the other things that are made out of PVC could be recycled back into PVC uses. And there is a variant of CPVC (Chlorinated Poly Vinyl Chloride) as well. Sorry, the plumber in me just had to comment - so at least people know what the pipes in their house are made out of. Most commercial zoning laws require copper over PVC/CPVC.
Now on to the question - WHY are we not recycling this stuff? Why is it cheaper to make new than to recycle existing?
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Plastics Recycling Codes
