Non-Recyclable Plastic
The Hidden Costs of Convenience Packaging
While walking around the grocery store yesterday, I became profoundly aware that many of the items we use regularly are sold in no longer recyclable containers. Whether it’s yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, or hummus, the pile of clean empty containers in our cabinet has grown exponentially in the past year. My conscience would not allow me to throw these away to become landfill fodder, so I tried to reuse some by freezing broth or soups and storing them in the freezer. Another option was to pot vegetable seedlings, allowing them to mature indoors until they were ready to be transplanted outside. What I recently learned is that the container should be labeled as "freezer-safe," which these clearly are not. Similar to freezer bags, some are designed to withstand freezing temperatures, while others are not.
After doing some research about why most recycling centers no longer accept #5 or #6 plastic containers, this is what I found out:
Recycling centers may no longer accept #5 (polypropylene) and #6 (polystyrene) plastic containers due to several challenges:
Limited Market Demand: The recycled materials from #3 through #7 plastics are often difficult to sell or repurpose. There’s little market demand for recycled versions of these plastics, making it not economically viable for recycling centers to process them. You may still find some recycling centers accepting #5, but you must inquire since many do not.
Processing Complexity: #5 and #6 plastics require specialized processing that some recycling facilities may not have the capability or equipment to handle, particularly because these materials have different chemical compositions compared to more commonly recycled plastics like #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and #2 polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum (HDPE) or high-density polyethylene.
Environmental Impact: In some cases, the environmental impact of recycling these plastics may outweigh the benefits, especially when the recycled products are not easily reused or are of low quality. If they are not being recycled or reused, they are being thrown in the landfill like garbage.
Thinking about all of this reminds me of the term “Circular Economy”. A circular economy intends to minimize waste by using and maximizing available resources. To do that, we must reduce items that will be thrown away. Making products that last longer or do not require packaging are some examples. Reuse an item by re-purposing it once its original purpose has been fulfilled. Recycle an item if it cannot be reused in its current form. Recycled items can be made into new products and sometimes can be recycled multiple times. The more times an item is recycled, the more likely its quality for future use will be diminished. Once that happens, it then becomes trash and is dumped in a landfill.
Recyclable plastics have a limited lifespan, as their strength and quality diminish with each recycling cycle. In contrast, glass and metal can be recycled repeatedly without any loss of durability or quality. Metal and glass are known to be heavier and more expensive to produce. Glass, being fragile, poses greater risks during shipping, storage, and sales. Additionally, metal may react with items like dairy products, potentially altering their taste.
What does an ecologically conscious consumer do? As I continued to walk around the grocery store, I couldn’t bring myself to buy any of these items in containers with a #4, #5, or #6 on them, even if I wanted or needed them. I suppose I could begin making my own dairy items, yogurt, and cottage cheese, but is that really the answer? Wouldn’t it make more sense for these companies to change their packaging to something less harmful to the environment and able to be reused and recycled?