Plastics Recycling Chart: Can You Recycle That?
What do those number symbols on plastic bottles and containers mean? (And why are they so small?!) Find out which plastics are safe, which may leak chemicals, and how to recycle plastic with this Plastics Identification Chart.
Interestingly, the number of symbols inside the triangles on plastic bottles and containers was not meant to help us identify which ones to recycle. The Society of Plastics Industry, now known as the , started this number system to identify the plastic resin content. Maybe that鈥檚 why the numbers are so hard to see!
It gets more complicated because every local recycling facility collects different types of plastics, and you need to contact your recycling center to know which plastics get collected.
Bottom-line, there are seven types of plastics. Generally, most recyclers accept plastics #1 and #2. Plastics #3 to #6 are more difficult to recycle, and some recycling centers do not process them. Plastic #7 is even more challenging to recycle and is almost always excluded.
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Plastics Identification and Recycling Chart
Here are the seven standard classifications for plastics and the recycling and reuse information for each type.
In your quest to go green, use this guide to use and sort plastic. The number, usually found with a triangle symbol on a container, indicates the type of resin used to produce the plastic. Visit for recycling information in your state.
 | NUMBER 1 鈥 PETE or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) IS USED IN: microwavable food trays; salad dressing, soft drink, water, and juice bottles STATUS: hard to clean; absorbs bacteria and flavors; avoid reusing IS RECYCLED TO MAKE: carpet, furniture, new containers, Polar fleece |
 | NUMBER 2 鈥 HDPE (high-density polyethylene) IS USED IN: household cleaner and shampoo bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs STATUS: transmits no known chemicals into food IS RECYCLED TO MAKE: detergent bottles, fencing, floor tiles, pens |
 | NUMBER 3 鈥 V or PVC (vinyl) IS USED IN: cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, mouthwash, bottles STATUS: is believed to contain phthalates that interfere with hormonal development; avoid IS RECYCLED TO MAKE: cables, mudflaps, paneling, roadway gutters |
 | NUMBER 4 鈥 LDPE (low-density polyethylene) IS USED IN: bread and shopping bags, carpet, clothing, furniture STATUS: transmits no known chemicals into food IS RECYCLED TO MAKE: envelopes, floor tiles, lumber, trash-can liners |
 | NUMBER 5 鈥 PP (polypropylene) IS USED IN: ketchup bottles, medicine and syrup bottles, drinking straws STATUS: transmits no known chemicals into food IS RECYCLED TO MAKE: battery cables, brooms, ice scrapers, rakes |
 | NUMBER 6 鈥 PS (polystyrene) IS USED IN: disposable cups and plates, egg cartons, take-out containers STATUS: is believed to leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen, into food; avoid IS RECYCLED TO MAKE: foam packaging, insulation, light switchplates, rulers |
 | NUMBER 7 鈥 Other (miscellaneous) IS USED IN: 3- and 5-gallon water jugs, nylon, some food containers STATUS: contains bisphenol A, which has been linked to heart disease and obesity; avoid IS RECYCLED TO MAKE: custom-made products |
Did that chart make your eyes glaze over? To help, here is more information about the different types of plastics so you can better understand which ones are safe and which are toxic for food and drink consumption.
#1: PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
Water bottles and plastic soda bottles are the most common containers made out of PET. It鈥檚 OK to recycle.
However, avoid reusing plastic containers made of PET. Why? PET is meant for single-use applications; repeated use increases the risk of leaching and bacterial growth. Plus, it鈥檚 hard to clean or remove harmful chemicals. PET may leach carcinogens.
#2: HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene)
Most milk jugs, detergent containers, and oil bottles are made from HDPE. It鈥檚 a very common plastic and one of the safest to use. It鈥檚 also fully recyclable.
#3: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
PVC is used for plastic food wrapping because it鈥檚 soft and flexible. Most consumer recyclers will not take PVC products. Also, avoid reusing PVC products, especially when it comes to food or for children鈥檚 use. They contain toxins that leach throughout their entire life cycle.
#4: LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene)
LDPE is usually what plastic bags are made from. You鈥檒l also find LDPE in shrink wraps, dry cleaner garment bags, and other items.
Though most plastic bags are not recyclable, some companies and recycling centers have found alternatives or are investigating how to recycle plastic bags, given their harmfulness to the environment.
LDPE is reusable and safe to repurpose.
#5: PP (Polypropylene)
Polypropylene plastic is used in margarine and yogurt containers, potato chip bags, cereal bags, and more.
Polypropylene is recyclable, although many recyclers still don鈥檛 accept it. PP is considered safe for reuse.
#6: PS (Polystyrene)
Avoid polystyrene as best as possible. It鈥檚 used for disposable styrofoam drinking cups, take-out containers, packing peanuts, and more.
Polystyrene is not generally recyclable and accounts for about 35% of US landfill material. Because it breaks apart so easily, it鈥檚 often found inside marine animals鈥 stomachs and littering our beaches.
Avoid reusing polystyrene. Polystyrene鈥檚 chemical compounds have been linked with human health and reproductive system dysfunction. Polystyrene may leach , into food products (especially when heated in a microwave).
#7: Polycarbonate, BPA, and Other Plastics
Assume that nothing with the #7 number can be recycled or reused. BPA can leak chemicals. It鈥檚 an
We hope this article has helped introduce the different types of plastics. It鈥檚 undoubtedly a little more complicated than it needs to be!
Consider this last question: A kid buys a plastic beverage bottle. It鈥檚 tossed in the trash and buried in a landfill, where decomposing will take over 400 years. However, if that beverage bottle is recycled, it can be transformed back into the same plastic pellets used to make it in the first place.
Yes, recycling still takes some energy, but this bottle鈥檚 life is not over, and it is part of a 鈥渃ycle鈥 in which natural resources do not go to waste. Before you toss something in the trash, ask yourself: 鈥淚s this really garbage?鈥
Are you interested in using less plastic? Learn ways to garden with less plastic.
Catherine Boeckmann
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How about the caps of #2 bottles? I have a #2 Tylenol bottle and will recycle it, but don't know if I can include the screw-on cap.
return the caps to the bottles. then recycle as usual. this include soda pop bottles.
Is the #3 plastics (pvc) the only one that contains pvc? If not, which other plastics contain pvc? I鈥檓 asking because I need a temporary storage for coins and pvc will damage them鈥
I'm a volunteer archivist, and I've had to educate myself about plastics. The chloride in Poly-vinyl-chloride (#3) is chlorine. PVC is constantly off-gassing chlorine and it's very corrosive. It's damaging to coins, stamps, baseball cards, family photos, and anything else you store in those clear plastic pocket-pages and page protectors. The manufacturers have realized this and are now making them out of Polypropylene (#5), and they're finally labeling the package with the type of plastic. If it's not labeled, contact the manufacturer and ask what it's made of. Most of what I'm finding in office supply stores these days is #5, but there might still be some #3 for sale in some of the bargain shops. The National Park Service has a great collection of publications called "Conserv-o-grams" that you can access on line, including a good one on archivally stable plastics. For safe storage you want Polypropylene, and if you can't get that, go for Polyethylene (#2 or #4). If I've made any mistakes here, someone please let me know.
Every city, county and state has its own rules about what can and cannot be recycled; different systems can handle different plastics, and governments may face higher net recycling costs for some plastics than for others, since they are not all equally in demand in the commercial resale market. In central NC, for instance, #2, 4, and 5 are all routinely recycled, but #1, 3, 6 and 7 are not - completely different rules than the ones in the third paragraph of this article. There's also the question of what to do with the lids and bottle caps. Bottom line: ASK someone in your city or county government who handles solid waste removal.
Kia ora from Aotearoa New Zealand...
I am really enjoying ( although disgusted by plastic waste) reading all your educated replies & also the thought-provoking questions on this thread. Regarding plastic recycling, here in NZ we nationally recycle #1 & 2-grade plastics... meaning that is what the Govt allows to be collected & sorted in each region & that each regional council 'should' be providing refuse sorting for these two types of plastic.... but is that the case! NO in many refuse stations the two types of plastic do not get sorted correctly & much of it ends up going straight to landfill.
I have an issue with the plastic bottle tops going to landfill... I am an environmental educator & learned that even if a # 1 or 2 recyclable plastic bottle is sent to the refuses station, if it has not had its top removed it will end up in the landfill. SO I have set up a collection of these in my local community, getting local school, early learning centres, local shops & community centres involved to collectively work together to collect these plastic bottle tops. My plan is to build a Shredder machine to shred the tops into small plastic flakes (please see https://preciousplastic.com/) I will then use my Plastic sheet press machine to melt down the plastics ( please note these are super recyclable HDPE & PP plastics that need to be heated to very high heat to burn, however, can be melted & remolded at a low heat, admitting no chemicals... meaning it is very safe) & remold into practical products, like stool tops, table tops etc. It is my way of doing my bit... I am currently having these two machines built by an engineer & can not wait to process all the plastic tops I have collected.
After reading about the plastic ratings on plastic bottles, containers, etc. my ? Is: most microwave trays R white or black n R usually Rated a 5 on white n a 7 on black,
R toxic chemicals leaking into the food n is it worse if U microwave the food?
Visiting a friend recently I noticed her large collection of plastic containers, many decades old. What is the rule for usage after certain dates and what codes (if they exist!) should be discarded.
Hi, Sue: This really depends on the exact types of plastics and quality of manufacturing, but there is no reason that most plastic containers can’t be used for decades (and many, many are). Thanks for asking!
how are tubes recycled? For example, toothpaste tubes and tubes that contain facial cleansers... they don't always have a number/triangle on them. can they be recycled?
