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Green Scene: Recycling #5 Plastics

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Jun 19, 2009 4:53 pm US/Eastern

Green Scene: Recycling #5 Plastics

Reporting
Susan Barnett
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― As you might already know, most plastic containers these days have a number from one to seven on the bottom. Plastics labeled #1 and #2 are recycled by most communities, including Philadelphia, but what about those other plastics?

Even in a place that strives to be green like Weaver's Way Co-Op in Mount Airy, you can find those pesky plastics that are hard to recycle.

Yogurt or food containers are often #5 plastic.  But #5 isn't recycled by the city of Philadelphia, so it ends up in landfills.

Weavers Way Co-Op is taking it upon itself to change that, by setting up a collection for #5 plastics.  Helen Seitz showed us some examples: drug bottles, takeout packaging, CD holders. 

The team will collect as much as they can -- clean, please! -- and send the plastic to companies that reuse the plastic, like Recycline.

"They grind them up and melt them and turn them into toothbrush handles and razor handles," said Seitz.

The company says making use of old #5 plastics cut greenhouse gasses and water use by more than half, so they encourage folks to give 'em five. 

The next #5 plastics collection is Saturday outside Weavers Way.  They do ask people to donate 75 cents to help cover shipping.

RELATED LINKS:

Weavers Way Co-Op Plastics Recycling




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