Did You Know?

Community curbside recycling programs often accept plastic containers marked “1” or “2” on the bottom. Rules for other plastics vary wildly from place to place. Seattle advises residents to ignore altogether the numbers stamped on container bottoms and recycle only plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, jars and pill bottles with a “neck and shoulders,” such as vitamin bottles, but not cylindrical prescription bottles. Meanwhile, some community recycling programs nowadays accept plastic containers marked “1” through “7,” as in Palm Beach County, Florida and rural Franklin County in Massachusetts. Check your recycling program for its latest rules. You may learn that it has started accepting a wider range of plastics. Call your local county’s Department of Public Works or waste management division to determine which plastics are being accepted currently. Also, call 1-800-CLEANUP for state recycling information.