Packaging: When 'Please Recycle' is Not Enough

Aerosol Deodorant – Click to Search

This is the label created for “E9ZO’s Strawberry Deodorant,” which is comprised of an aerosol can and #5 plastic cap. This product is tough to recycle because:

• Aerosol cans that still have product in them are considered household hazardous waste (HHW) and must go to special collection centers.
• #5 plastic caps are unable to be baled, so these must be recycled in a program that states it can take rigid plastics.
• Aerosol cans have a different disposal stream if they are empty vs. still containing a product. Empty cans may be recycled as scrap metal if properly depressurized, whereas cans that contain product are usually treated as HHW.

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