Just What Do Those Arrows Mean on Recyclables?

If you are a reasonably observant person, you’ve no doubt noticed that most plastic containers have a number surrounded by a set of chasing arrows. Here’s your weekly eco-quiz, don’t worry … it’s multiple choice, which gives you a chance to gauge your eco-knowledge:

Q: Just what do those arrows mean? Is it:

a. That the product is made from recycled plastic.

b. That the product is accepted for recycling at the local recycling center.

c. That the product is made of a particular type of plastic.

d. All of the above.

Sadly, the answer is just “c” and those of you who were hoping it was “all of the above” just got your green tinted shades a bit smudged.

That’s right, the packaging industry labels products with a number that tells potential recyclers what type of plastic it is to facilitate its recycling. While this is a good thing overall, because it does make recycling easier, it also fools many people into thinking that a package is reasonably recyclable.

It is vital to note that JUST BECAUSE A PACKAGE HAS A NUMBER WITH ARROWS AROUND IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE PRODUCT IS REASONABLY RECYCLABLE. Sorry to shout … but sometimes it helps to get the readers’ attention.

You’ll note that I specified “reasonably recyclable” – not just “recyclable.” This is because while it may be technically feasible to recycle an item, the economics and thermodynamics of its recycling may not make sense. That’s right, it may cost oodles and oodles of money to separate a product into its separate constituents and then collect enough of them to recycle them into something new. Similarly, it may require vastly more energy to recycle a hard-to- recycle material than it would take to make a similar product from virgin materials.

With that said, remember that it DOES MAKE SENSE (both economically and environmentally) to recycle most containers. So, what’s the eco-consumer, green-hearted Morgan Hillian to do? Here are three guidelines to follow:

1. Think before you buy. Look for items which meet your needs and have as little packaging as possible. Especially avoid products wrapped in plastic or enclosed in packaging made of more than one material. Buy products that will last longer either because they’re more durable or are packed in a larger size. (For example, a 32 oz juice bottle has less packaging-per-ounce than four 8 oz. bottles would have.)

2. Look for reuse opportunities. Sometimes it is possible to reuse packaging that is otherwise not recyclable. Ideas include food storage, storage of small parts, and seed planting.

3. Only place the right recyclables in your recycling bin. Some people think that they are doing the earth a favor by recycling all of their plastics – regardless of whether they are accepted by the program or not. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unacceptable items have to be sorted out of the recycling at the recycling center, which takes extra energy, and then are ultimately landfilled. The more contaminated your recycling is, the harder it is to sort out the “real” recyclables in the load and the less is ultimately recycled. In Morgan Hill, you can recycle plastics (number one through number seven) which include clear, opaque and solid colored bottles and jugs including milk jugs, water bottles, shampoo bottles, yogurt cups, margarine tubs, polystyrene blocks, polystyrene packing peanuts (must be secured in a clear plastic bag), polystyrene and plastic “take-out” containers (please rinse), meat trays, and plastic bags such as grocery, produce, dry cleaning and newspaper bags. If a plastic doesn’t have a number one through seven on it, don’t recycle it.

Eco-facts of the week: Packaging makes up 32 percent of the country’s municipal waste. A total of 29 percent of recycled HDPE bottles (like milk jugs) go into making new bottles and 56 percent of recycled PET (like soda bottles) finds a market in the manufacture of carpet and clothing.

Eco-Web pages of the week: The city’s Web site has relevant information on what not to recycle at http://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/html/citysvc/envir/donot.asp . A student up the road a bit wrote a nice piece on plastics recycling that’s available at http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2006/4/26/plasticUnveilingTheMystery .

Anthony Eulo is a Program Administrator for the City of Morgan Hill who wishes that the arrows didn’t confuse people. He welcomes your questions, comments, and thoughts and can be reached at 779-7247 or

en*****@mo*********.gov











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