Why doesn’t OCRRA accept plastics #3-#7 for recycling in the Blue Bin?
There are two key reasons why all plastics are not currently recycled: 1) Economics and the poor market demand for other plastics, and 2) Processing requirements; all plastics are not “equal.” They have different chemical/physical characteristics and therefore cannot all be melted together. There are more than a half dozen different types of plastic, in terms of their chemical composition or in the way they react under heat. Manufacturers mark plastic containers on the bottom with a number (seven in total) contained in a triangle of arrows (the recycling symbol). The numbers, show the type of plastic resin used to manufacture the product. Not all plastics are chemically or physically the same, and therefore, from a processing standpoint, they cannot be mixed together when making new plastic items. The first question to ask in relation to including an item in the recycling bin collection is whether there are dependable markets that will accept and pay for the item collected. Since consu
