Why arent all plastics recyclable, after all, they are all stamped with the chasing arrows symbol?
The plastic container code identifies the seven thermoplastic resins by a number & an abbreviation. The code does not denote recyclability; it merely identifies each resin by its chemical composition. The plastic industry designed the code, hoping that all plastics would ultimately be recycled. However, although plastics #1PET and #2HDPE bottles are recycled in most parts of the U.S., there are fewer markets for the other resins. Unlike steel, aluminum and glass that always contain some recycled content, many plastics manufacturers have not designed their production facilities to incorporate recycled material.
