Is Plastic Recyclable?

It’s time to take a long, hard, honest look at the plastic crisis.

By Patrice Lewis
Updated on September 11, 2024
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by Adobestock/Alejandro

Is plastic recyclable? Learn about recycling codes for plastic, how many times can plastic be recycled, and types of plastic decomposition including bacteria-eating plastic and plastic-eating fungus research.

Of all green-living recommendations, recycling is perhaps one of the most cherished. It’s a guilt-free way to enjoy the benefits of modern products (mostly plastic food and beverage containers) without contributing further to environmental degradation.

Or so we’re led to believe. Unfortunately, plastic recycling isn’t what it seems.

Recycling on a municipal level has been around for well over a century (informal recycling, of course, is much older). In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was common for glass beverage bottles to be returned to the facility for sterilization and reuse. Scrap metal was collected for melting down and repurposing. Even restaurant fats could be made into soaps and other products.

In the aftermath of World War II, Americans fell for the marketing magic of disposable products as sanitary alternatives to their reusable and washable counterparts. Trash output ratcheted up accordingly.

Pollution concept. Garbage pile in trash dump or landfill.
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