Why does HRRA provide recycling only for plastic bottles with a neck?
A HRRA accepts all plastics with a #1 or #2 in the triangle on the bottom of the container. The Intermediate Processing Center (IPC) which handles recyclables from the HRRA communities has developed strong resale markets for #1PET and #2HDPE plastics. Such markets are not available for the other types of plastics (#3 – #7). Many people say it is too difficult to find or read the numbers in the triangles on the bottom of plastic containers, but it is easy to tell if a plastic container has a neck. Since more than 95% of all plastics with a neck are made from #1 or #2 plastic, the “check for the neck” campaign is an easy way to capture the right plastics for recycling. In other parts of the country “check for the neck” programs have increased plastics recycling by as much as 30% compared to asking consumers to find the #1 or #2 in the triangle.
