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.

And when disposable plastic food and beverage containers hit the market, things took an even worse turn. Unlike paper conveniences that, in theory, break down into compost, no such claim could be made about plastic, which derives from natural gas and crude oil. In our modern society, even the most ardent zero-waste environmentalists can hardly avoid plastic packaging, even in the form of upstream waste (the resources it took for a product to get to the consumer).
From a manufacturer’s perspective, plastic containers are the perfect solution. They’re durable, waterproof, and lightweight – the very qualities that make them such a bane of landfills. Collectively, the plastics-manufacturing industry is powerful; it lobbies or litigates any legislation that might put restrictions on its products.
Is Plastic Recyclable?
Recycling was supposed to be the ultimate solution to the plastics issue – and, conveniently for the manufacturers, transferred the burden of waste from producer to consumer.
The theory is that we collect plastic containers, turn them over to specialized facilities, and – presto! – they’re magically turned into more plastic products. The truth is less glossy. Unlike metal or glass, which can be recycled over and over without losing its quality, plastic is far more complex and limited.
Not all plastics are created equal, and this affects whether recycling them is cost-effective. If there’s no market for the product, the recycled plastic will be discarded. Just because it has the “chasing arrow” logo doesn’t mean it’ll actually get recycled.
Recycling Codes for Plastic
The recycling codes for plastics fall into seven categories. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the number, the more difficult it’ll be for the material to be recycled.
- #1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE): This common, easy-to-recycle type of plastic is accepted by most municipal recycling programs. It’s found in disposable food and drink containers, including prepared- and frozen-food containers and water and soda bottles.
- #2 High-density polyethylene (HDPE): The non-transparent plastic is also widely accepted in municipal recycling programs. It’s commonly found in household-cleaner bottles, some food containers, and cutting boards.
- #3 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): PVC is more difficult to recycle than PET and HDPE. This type of plastic can be found in children’s toys and a variety of bottles, including detergent and shampoo.
- #4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE): This soft, flexible type of plastic is commonly used to make thin plastic bags. Check to make sure it’s accepted locally, as it can clog up recycling machines. Grocery stores will often accept LDPE products.
- #5 Polypropylene (PP): This plastic can be found in straws, soft drink cups, and certain food containers. PP plastic can be recycled, but check to make sure it’s accepted locally.
- #6 Polystyrene (PS): Also known as Styrofoam, PS plastic is commonly found in takeout containers and disposable cups. It’s generally not accepted by recycling programs.
- #7 Other: These include bisphenol A (BPA), polycarbonate, and bio-based plastics.
Products made from a single material (such as water bottles) are easiest to recycle; products made from more than one material (such as coffee cups with thin plastic coating or snack-bar packaging) are much more difficult to separate, and recycling facilities usually discard them.
Cleanliness is also a factor. Plastic containers with food residue can’t be recycled, so wash those containers before putting them in the bin.
How Many Times Can Plastic Be Recycled?
Even recyclable plastic downgrades each time it’s recycled. Plastic is composed of long chains of atoms called “polymers,” which are arranged in repeating units. Most recycling processes involve crushing and grinding the plastics, which frays and snaps the fibers and shortens the polymer chains. Plastic can only go through two or three such processes before it’s useless. For this reason, even recycled plastic items have virgin plastic added during the manufacturing process.
Remember, all plastic recycling competes with new plastic products in the marketplace. If the final recycled product is too expensive or too low-quality, it can’t compete.
Why Doesn’t Plastic Decompose?
There are two types of decomposition: biotic (broken down by living organisms, such as bacteria) and abiotic (chemical or physical erosion by such processes as wind or water).
Biotic decomposition doesn’t happen in plastics because the chemical bonds linking the atoms in the polymers are more complicated than those found in nature. As a result, bacteria can’t break the links.
Plastics can break down abiotically (over a long time), but they’ll never truly go away. This is where the microplastic and nanoplastic crises originate, in which tiny particles of plastic are consumed by animals or embedded in soil. Nanoplastics have been found in fruits and vegetables after passing through plant roots. They’ve been found in nearly every human organ, and they can even pass to infants through breast milk.
For many years, higher-income Western nations “solved” their plastic problem by shipping waste overseas to lower-income nations with fewer environmental regulations, where it was often incinerated or buried if it couldn’t be turned into raw materials. China was one of the biggest takers of this waste, accepting more than half of the world’s “recycled” plastic for the past quarter-century. But this short-term solution preluded a larger environmental crisis looming on the horizon.
In 2018, China instigated a ban on accepting plastic waste, dropping its imports by 99 percent. This decision sent officials in Western nations into a panic. In the U.S., bales of “recyclable” single-use plastics started stacking up in warehouses all over the country. Many were buried in landfills or incinerated because, after all, what else could be done with them? Local governments and recycling processors scrambled to find new markets in the wake of the Chinese ban, and many suspended their recycling programs altogether.
In the wake of that ban, researchers published a study in the journal Science Advances measuring the global impact China’s ban on plastics would create. They found “an estimated cumulative 111 million metric tons of plastic waste will be displaced by 2030.”
After this, the plastic-waste import market shifted to Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Parts of these relatively small countries are now literally buried under mountains of the world’s plastic waste and are reconsidering their import policies. Some have already revoked permits. In more recent years, countries in Eastern Europe, such as Turkey, have also imported plastic waste.
How Much Plastic Is Actually Recycled?
Given all of these restrictions, the amount of plastic that’s actually recycled is probably a lot lower than you think. According to studies on plastic pollution, only about 9 percent of all the plastic ever produced has been recycled. Instead, the majority of it has ended up in landfills or the natural environment – with about 4 to 12 metric tons of plastic entering the ocean each year.

Less than 5 percent of plastics in the U.S. are recycled into new products. Reasons include a lack of market, limited processing facilities, expensive technical investments, and not enough large-scale processors. Without many options, recycling facilities are increasingly turning to landfills or incinerators.
Some DIYers are taking recycling into their own hands by melting high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and reshaping it into new things. HDPE plastics are popular for DIYers because they melt at low temperatures and don’t give off toxic fumes. Tools needed for this process include heat-resistant gloves, molds, clamps, scissors (or a utility knife), and baking paper. More advanced projects may require other tools, such as a bandsaw or lathe. Some items DIYers have made include toys, pens, kitchen tiles, and replacement components, such as wheels, pulleys, and gears. There are endless YouTube tutorials on melting and shaping HDPE plastics, and it’s well worth investigating.

So, does recycling make a difference? Yes and no. Studies have shown that post-consumer paper, cardboard, and metals prove recycling can be an effective way to reclaim valuable material resources. But plastic recycling is still a failure, despite the best efforts of the plastics industry to perpetuate the myth that it’s a success. In fact, plastic recycling has never lived up to the promises made by industry leaders.
Plastic-Eating Fungus Research
There are rays of hope amid the darkness of the plastic crisis. Scientists have discovered that certain fungi are able to digest synthetic-polymer polyester polyurethane (PUR) and convert it into organic matter in both solid and liquid surroundings. These bioremediation discoveries suggest the possibility of using fungi to address plastic waste in both landfill and ocean environments.
Other fungi have been found to consume PUR in a manner similar to fermentation. In fact, the common and edible oyster mushroom has shown itself capable of decomposing plastic while still creating an edible mushroom, opening the doors to possible at-home recycling systems.
Bacteria-Eating Plastic
Additionally, scientists have found bacteria munching on plastic in dumps. The bacteria harvest the plastic’s carbon for energy, breaking down plastic fully and processing it into basic nutrients. Other bacteria found deep in landfills have broken down decades-old plastic. To accomplish this, the bacteria used enzymes to break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic in clothing and packaging.
While researchers are investigating how best to exploit these bacteria, the process is currently too slow to have a meaningful effect on plastic waste. Scientists are attempting to tweak the critical enzymes to make them work faster – which brings its own set of ethical dilemmas, including concerns about releasing altered bacteria into the environment. There’s also a boom in so-called “bioprospecting” among microbiologists to find faster and better alternatives in nature. However, no one has yet found this “holy grail” of a fast-acting plastic-eating microbe.

Microbial action may also be the key to efficient recycling of plastic. A French company named Carbios uses a bacterial enzyme process on PET plastics to break down the material to its precursor molecules, allowing it to be infinitely recycled, as glass and aluminum are. While the process is currently small in scale, larger facilities are being built. But this process is energy-intensive.
For decades, Americans have been trained to “feel good” by dropping their single-use plastics into the recycling bin. But until such time as sustainable solutions exist on a wide scale, the best thing we can do to “feel good” is to avoid using plastic, whenever possible, in the first place.
Originally published as “Plastic Recycling is Broken” in the October/November 2024 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
Patrice Lewis has practiced and written about self-reliance and preparedness for almost 30 years. She’s experienced in homestead animal husbandry and small-scale dairy production, food preservation and canning, country relocation, home-based businesses, homeschooling, personal money management, and food self-sufficiency.