Why can plastic lids be recycled?
They have the same number on them as the bottles. The coding system on plastics is, without a doubt, one of the most confusing aspects of recycling. The number codes were originally intended as a plastics industry system, and not as a code for consumer recycling, so you can’t necessarily go by the code’s presence on a plastic product as an indication of its recyclability. That’s why we specify the type of container in addition to the number. The technical answer to this question takes us into a complicated lesson in polymer compatibility, but let me simplify for the majority of us who are simply looking for an answer and not a lesson in chemistry. In this case, although both the lid and the container might be made from the same plastic resin, the two were created via different manufacturing processes, giving them different melting points. At the same temperature, one may melt to the consistency of pudding, while the other is more liquidy, like soup. Bottom line, they’re not compatible,
