City Scene - February 2002: Real recycling made easy

February 2002

Lead Stories

Consultation guides new facility

'Garden City' can't rest on its laurels

Making change work for us

SummerTimes successfully launched

Four Civic Trust awards for City Council projects

February 2002 index

Real recycling made easy - number 1 and 2 plastic

Check that number
Size, shape or robustness does not determine whether plastic items can be recycled or not. What does matter, is a container’s number. Check for the numbers contained within the recycling arrows and only put those with a 1 or 2 in your recycling crate. These numbers are often found on the base of containers but not always. It can be confusing because there are other numbers on items, which are to do with coding which manufacturers use and have nothing to do with recycling.

The 1 and 2 indicate the grade of plastic and are used for many juice and soft drink containers, most plastic milk, yoghurt and cream bottles (not pottles), plastic Vegemite jars, some shampoo bottles, many household cleanser containers (eg Check that number washing detergent, jiff), and some icecream containers (although not their lids).

Some care is needed as PVC plastic, which is stamped 3, can also look identical to 1 clear plastic. If these two types of plastic are mixed in the re-manufacturing process, the bottles end up with small holes in them.

Discard lids and rinse clean
Lids should be removed and discarded. Although they may look the same, often lids are made from a different grade of plastic to that of their containers. If different grades of plastic are mixed in the recycling process that batch can be ruined and will need to be dumped.

It is important that all plastic items are rinsed clean of all original contents whether food, drink or cleaning material. To make recycling as easy as possible you Discard lids and rinse clean are not required to sort your items. But, there is a person on the truck who has to sort all items by hand – it is intensive work made very unpleasant by decaying food, and material falling out of containers.

Further, items may be stored for several weeks or months, until there is sufficient quantity for transporting to manufacturers. Dirty items can smell and become a health hazard, attracting vermin.

Real recycling
The kerbside recycling programme only takes material when it has a market for that item which is why plastics with only a 1 or 2 will be collected, and why nonrecyclable items are left behind in crates. That’s why it’s being calling ‘real recycling’. Real recycling

Further information. If you have any questions, contact us at: waste@ccc.govt.nz or phone 941 8830. If you would like a copy of an information poster called Real Recycling made easy, you can collect one from the Council Service Centres, Civic Offices in Tuam Street, or phone 941 8830 and one will be sent to you.