The Rest of the Plastics

Last week, I wrote about which plastics we recycle in New York City.  The bottom line is that the New York City Dept. of Sanitation only recycles plastic bottles and jugs (without the caps).

So what should you do with the rest of the plastics?  A couple of astute readers pointed out other options for recycling them.

Plastic Bags

By New York State law, all  large retail stores, shopping malls, and retail chains that hand out plastic bags must maintain a dedicated bin to collect them.   Look for bins at places like D’Agostino, Gristedes, CVS, Duane Reade,  Home Depot, et al.

Don’t forget to take out your receipts first!

Other types of plastic bags, such as plastic dry cleaning bags and plastic newspaper delivery bags, are also accepted at many retailers, although not required by law.

For more information, see the NYC.gov website.

To see a cool video about how plastic bags get recycled, check this out.

Yogurt Containers and Other #5 Plastics

#5 plastics include yogurt containers, contact lens containers, dental floss boxes, heavy grade take-out food containers, orange prescription medicine bottles, and a high percentage of plastic caps.  Take a look at the bottom to see if they have a number 5 in a triangle.

If so, you can recycle these items at dedicated bins at any Whole Foods, as well as at Upper Green Side’s table at the East 82nd Street and East 92nd Street Greenmarkets.  For location information, see their web site.

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