Author: Sarah D. Walker

Recycling Plastic in Upper Pittsgrove Township

One-third of all plastics
put in recycling bin
are not recyclable.
Please help Our Recycling Center
more by following the
guidelines inside.

THIS CHART LIST ALL PLASTIC SYMBOLS WE ONLY ACCEPT SOME #1 AND #2 AT THIS TIME. PLEASE SEE INSIDE FOR DETAILS.

Why Only bottles, tubs, jars and Jugs ?

The chasing arrows numbering system for plastic containers was introduced over 20 years ago to help recyclers sort plastics by their main ingredient (resin) type, which is necessary to recycle it.
Each number represents a different type of plastic resin. Plastic resin is only recyclable if it is desired by a manufacturer who can re-use it to make new products.
The number system worked well for many years. Until, that is manufacturers began inventing so many new ways to change and shape plastics into new packaging options.
The science and mechanics of shaping plastic resins into product shapes are such that once a resin is manipulated into a shape it is changed forever and it cannot be combined with other shapes to be recycled, even if the resin is the same!
So the numbers alone are not enough---shape is now important to describe what can and cannot be recycled.
Here’s an example: PET #1 plastic resin is made into water bottles by heating it to high temperatures and injection molding it. But the same resin can be melted to a lower temperature in thermoforming process to make a tray. These two plastic items made from the same base resin (#1 Pet) but are not both equally recyclable because the different shaping processes create different plastic. Many manufacturers will pay for #1 bottles to make new products, but very few will pay for #1 trays at this time.
Manufacturers need very large quantities of a single material in a consistent supply to make their products. In order to supply this, resin types. If the material is the correct shape. When plastic trays contaminate the bottles that a manufacturer purchases as their raw material, their products will have flaws and will not be marketable.

UPPER PITTSGROVE TOWNSHIP
PLASTIC RECYCLING GUIDE

YES!
Plastics labeled #1 and #2 with necks. Recycle these plastic containers. Please remove caps and rinse.
Soft drink bottles
Milk, juice, & water jugs
Margarine tubs
Liquid detergent bottles
Shampoo & conditioner bottles
Windshield fluid bottles
Coffee ground containers.

PLEASE NOTE NOT ALL #1 AND #2 ARE RECYCLABLE . Some of the big offenders are Wawa coffee cups and yogurt pudding cups. Please place these in trash containers.

NO!
DON”T RECYCLE at this time. Discard in trash Containers.
Meat trays
Loose lids, caps, &s pray pumps.
Food storage containers
Tray or flexible plastics
Toys
Garden Hose
Lawn furniture
Motor oil bottles
Pesticide containers
Prescription bottles
Plastic labeled 3,4,5,6 and 7.

PLASTIC NUMBERS ALONE DON’T WORK TO DETERMINE RECYLABILITY!