Plastics

Plastics: Getting to know the difference and making a difference

Get to know your plastic. Since the late 1980s, many plastic products are labeled with one of seven codes indicating the type of material they are made from. These are the familiar numbers and letters inside "chasing arrows" found on the bottom of plastic containers. The City’s waste hauler, Burrtec collects plastics with all number codes (1-7). Please place all numbered plastics in your Burrtec recycling container. More information is available from Burrtec.

Choose plastics that can be recycled.

Give preference to products made from recycled content. Whenever possible, use products made from recycled plastic. Look for those labeled “made with recycled content” and especially those “made with post-consumer recycled content,” which are made with materials that have actually been used, rather than with manufacturing waste that never reached consumers.

Reduce when you can. Try to cut down on the amount of plastics you use in the first place. Alternatives, such as cotton shopping bags, reusable water bottles, and refillable containers can go a long way toward reducing the amount of plastics that enter the waste stream.

Reuse containers before recycling them. Most of today’s rigid plastic containers are dishwasher safe. Consider washing them and reusing them before you discard them.

Oyster or Clamshell packaging is hard to open and considered by many to be toxic.  Retailers have favored the rigid clamshell casings because they deter shoplifters. Moreover, they are easy and cheap to ship, store, and offer a peek of the product inside. Bad for the planet, hated by consumers: Clamshells can make products impossible to extract with bare hands. The main problem is plastic's potential for toxicity and the waste created when using virgin plastics for disposable purposes. Consumers are becoming much more sensitive to the environmental ramifications of excess packaging.

•    Packaging accounts for nearly one-third of consumer garbage, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Plastics comprise 12 per cent of US waste each year, but are rarely recycled. Some scientists fear that irresponsible dumping is making a plastic soup of the world's oceans.
•    An alternative to plastic clamshells is to eliminate packaging altogether. Music and software can be downloaded digitally, for instance. Some stores opt to keep pricey products behind a counter while showcasing the samples, reducing the need for so many plastic display casings.
•    Shop wisely.