by Adriana A. AlbaSo you've decided to start recycling: newspaper in this box, cans in the 'ant-proof' plastic bag, mixed paper over there, glass in the big can, and the plastics ... what about the plastics?
hereas recycling most materials is relatively simple,
plastics cause the most headaches. On the bottom of most plastic containers
you've probably noticed an embossed triangle of three arrows enclosing a
number from one to seven. You also may be aware that only certain "numbers"
are recycled in your area. Where did these numbers come from? How should
you deal with them?
Most important, don't ignore them! To sort or not to
sort - that is not the question. By mixing plastics with different codes,
some of which are not recyclable in San Diego County at all, you unintentionally
will be polluting the recycling system. A clean, sorted materials stream
with a minimum of contamination is necessary if recycling is to be economically
viable.
This numbering system was created by the Society of
the Plastics Industry Inc. in 1988 in order to assist material separators
and recyclers in identifying and correctly sorting the different types of
plastics for recycling. The SPI system identifies the plastic item's primary
component, technically called a resin. The variety of resins is what makes
plastic recycling so complex.In San Diego County, plastics stamped with codes 4,
5 or 7 are not recyclable. Codes 1 and 2 are the easiest to recycle; code
3 is recycled only at certain places. Certain items stamped with code 6,
known to most as "Styrofoam," can be recycled through a program
at Ralph's grocery stores.To find out which plastics are recycled and where, call
the San Diego County and City Recycling Hotline, coordinated by I Love a
Clean San Diego County Inc. at (619) 467-0903.In addition, the American Plastic Council has established
a toll-free Plastic Hotline to provide communities with information, such
as locating handlers, reclaimers, and manufacturers of recycled plastic
products. The Hotline phone number is 800-243-5790.
Coy Smith, former executive director of the San Diego
Recycling Company, says this complexity can become a negative factor in
plastics recycling."People do want to recycle their plastics and they
want simplicity," he says. "Plastics recycling is not simple.
Plastic is the most frustrating. The majority of the angry calls we get
are about plastic recycling, which can turn people off." Part of the problem is the difference in demand for
the different types of recycled resins. Krista Henkels, recycling specialist
of the Solid Waste Division of the San Diego County Department of Public
Works, shares Smith's concern. "People are anxious to recycle their plastics,"
she says. "Industry is happy to recycle for them. The only problem
is that we don't have the infrastructure to provide a market for these recycled
materials. It is very grim. Recycling locations aren't accepting plastics
if they know it will not be recycled. They are very aware of what is happening
in the market."
In a recent Environmental Times survey, over 62 percent
of the participants said that when they buy products packaged in plastic
at the store, and see the recycling symbol on it, they assume it is recyclable.
A nationwide group of consumers and officials have created the "Take
the Wrap" campaign to persuade the plastics industry to stop using
the recycling symbol on plastics that are rarely recyclable."Take the Wrap" is a project sponsored by
the California Resource Recovery Association, Solana Recyclers, and I Love
A Clean San Diego County Inc. Loads of nonrecyclable plastic packaging have
been mailed to the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the SPI which is responsible
for the labeling system."Last year, 6.8 million tons of plastic packaging
was sent to landfills and incinerators across the country," states
Brooke Nash, executive director of Solana Recyclers and "Take the Wrap"
organizer. "Nearly all of it sported the recycling symbol. The plastics
industry has spent millions on national advertising. Their latest effort
is an $18 million campaign featuring prime time television ad urging consumers
to 'Take Another Look At Plastic.' "
The current state of plastic recycling demonstrates
a classic paradox: A market for these unrecyclable plastics won't be developed
until there is a reliable, economic source, yet there won't be a source
until there is a market for it. However, pioneering technologists and enterpreneurs
are hard at work on the problem.The September 29th issue of the Wall Street Journal
reports that researchers at the University of Kentucky's Institute for Mining
and Minerals in Lexington have developed a process that turns plastics back
into crude oil. By heating the plastics in a stainless steel reactor containing
a catalyst, the plastic is converted to oil that "is like any crude
oil extracted from the ground," according to Dr. Mehdi Taghiei, an
engineer at the University. The oil then can be refined into fuel or used
to make new plastics. Work is currently underway to make the process more
economical. Dr. Taghiei estimates that "over 80 million barrels of
oil a year" could be recovered from U.S. plastic wastes alone, about
1.3 percent of the U.S. consumption.
Adriana A. Alba is a high school student at Torrey Pines, and is editor
of her school newspaper.
# 1 - Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
