Plastic Frequently Asked Questions

Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. It's not only important to understand what you can place in your recycling container, but also to understand what the numbers on the bottles mean. Additional information is provided below on understanding the recycling symbols and the numbers that correspond with those containers.
  • #1 Plastic - PET - Commonly used in plastic bottles and highly recyclable
  • #2 Plastic - HDPE - Commonly used to package milk, cleaning products, etc. and highly recyclable.
  • #3 Plastic - PVC - Durable and highly weather resistant. Often used on construction sites. Not easily recyclable.
  • #4 Plastic - LDPE - Commonly used to make plastic bags, which are recyclable at bag drops, such as at the grocery store.
  • #5 Plastic - PP - Commonly used in food tubs and containers for yogurt, butter, etc.
  • #6 Plastic - PS - Commonly used in take-out food container packaging, packing peanuts and foam blocks. Do not place #6 plastics in your blue bin.
  • #7 Plastic - Other - This category of recycling is used for all other types of plastic.

Are microwaveable meal containers recyclable?
Microwavable meal containers are not recyclable in TFC Recycling's single stream recycling process. The main reason for this is due to the food contamination. Even when rinsed, the oils from the foods remain and can create problems when mixed with paper products.

I bought some plants at the gardening center. Are the plastic pots recyclable?
Not the our single stream system, but in many cases you can return them to the store you bought them from for them to be reused. Your local Master Gardeners may also be able to reuse them in their efforts throughout your community.

Can I recycle a motor oil bottle with a #2 on the bottom?
No. Motor oil residue has become one of the biggest contaminants of our plastic markets. The residue seems into the porous plastic and cannot be removed through the washing process.

Why can't prescription or vitamin bottles be recycled?
Prescription and vitamin bottles go through a different manufacturing process and as a result, do not have the same melting temperature as other plastic bottles. They have a different consistency at the same melting temperature, making them incompatible in re-manufacturing.

Do I need to remove the plastic ring left on the bottles and jugs?
No. It's ok to leave it there.

Do I need to take the caps off my bottles?
No. Through improvements in recycling technology, you may leave caps on your bottles. We just ask that you empty the liquid contents before placing them in your blue bin.

What type of plastics can you recycle?
We are able to accept #1 and #2 plastics that are in the shape of a bottle or jug. Some examples are water bottles, shampoo bottles, milk jugs, juice containers and the like.

Why can't you recycle all plastics like #3 - #7?
The numbers on plastic containers help identify the resin used to produce various types of plastic. Different resin numbers affect how an item gets recycled, if it can be recycled and what it can be recycled into. Everything that comes into TFC's Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) must quickly head out to be processed into new, recycled products. Plastics with #3 - #7 don't have consistent demand in the market and therefore risk the chance they'll end up not moving out of the MRF. Additionally, #7 plastics are identified as OTHER and include a multitude of possible resin combinations making it nearly impossible to correctly sort them.