Packaging: When 'Please Recycle' is Not Enough

Butter Container and Lid – Click to Search

This is the label created for “E9ZO’s Churned Butter,” which is comprised of a #5 plastic cap and a #5 plastic food container. You can click the image above to find out where you can recycle this type of packaging near you. Here are some of the challenges that come up when you try to recycle a product like this:

• Rigid plastics are tough to bale and don’t have as many recycling options as other resins like plastic #1 and #2. Lids can’t be baled as well.
• #5 plastics will typically be collected as “mixed plastic,” which has a lower value than collecting a specific resin of plastic.
• #5 plastic collection in general is not as widespread as more popular resins like #1 and #2.

Next: Pizza!