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  • Plastic Recycling: it's not by numbers!
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Report an issue
Community Engagement
Contact council
Make a payment online
Online services
Parking & Expiations
Which bin to put out?
Hard waste
Thebarton Community Centre
Development applications
Zoning information
Minutes & Agendas
Dog registration
Hamra centre library
Borrow from library
Library catalogue
Report an issue
Community Engagement
Contact council
Make a payment online
Online services
Parking & Expiations
Which bin to put out?
Hard waste
Thebarton Community Centre
Development applications
Zoning information
Minutes & Agendas
Dog registration
Hamra centre library
Borrow from library
Library catalogue
Buying a property
Development assessment
Renovations & extensions
Other development advice
Building Permits & licenses
Policy planning
Placemaking project - Admella Lane
Public Realm Design Manual
Fact Sheets - Engineering Guidelines for Development
Australia Day Awards 2020
Care and support
Children youth and families
Community arts
Community Centres
Community events calendar
Financial counselling
Grants, donations, rebates & sponsorships
Justices of the Peace
Lifestyle and inclusion
Major projects
Promote your community event
Talking Points Magazine
West Torrens Road Safety Group
Emergencies & disasters
Employment and volunteering
Feedback, compliments and complaints
Local history
Make a payment online
Meetings
Our City
Rates & charges
Tenders, contracting & purchasing
Your Council
Information
Climate change
Plants & animals
Renewable energy
Water
Trees
Urban greening
Hamra Centre Library
Activities and events
Digital literacy
Home Library Service
Learn english
Library catalogue & app
Library Fees & charges
Library News
Library resources & collections
Little Libraries locations
Membership & borrowing
Mobile Library
Computers and WiFi
Local History
CityWatch - report an issue
Information & staging events
Parking in the City of West Torrens
Pets and animals
Public & environmental health
Streets roads footpaths and permits
Street Sweeping
About your bins
A-Z guide to waste and recycling
Bindy the Waste and Recycling Chatbot
Tips to reduce waste
Organics bin and food waste recycling
Recycling bin
Waste to landfill bin
Electronic & electrical waste
Hard waste
Bin collection notifications
Chemicals and paint
Illegal dumping
Education - School and Community
Where recyclables go after collection
Plastic Recycling: it's not by numbers!

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Plastic Recycling: it's not by numbers!

Does it help to know the symbol with the numbers inside?

plastic-1.png

The short answer: No.

Many people use the triangular symbol with a number inside to identify what can be recycled in the yellow-lid recycling bin. This symbol is NOT a recycling symbol for kerbside recycling. It is a plastics identification code or number (PIN) used by manufacturers and plastics recyclers to distinguish the various types of plastic for reprocessing.

What plastics CAN be recycled in the yellow-lid bin?

Ask yourself these questions:

  • Is it a container?
    Plastic containers that are rigid or semi-rigid can be recycled.

    A helpful hint for deciding if it is semi-rigid is if it generally retains its 3 dimensional shape when crumpled and could hold fluid eg. biscuit or cake tray.

  • Is it made from polystyrene eg. foam meat or food tray, cup or packaging 'peanuts'?

    It must be put in the red-lid waste to landfill bin.

  • Is it a plastic lid?
    Large lids eg. ice cream and butter/margarine container lids can be placed in the yellow-lid recycling bin.

    Loose small, rigid plastic items eg. milk and drink bottle lids, bread tags and straws either fall off the conveyor belts at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and are treated as waste, or are caught between the paper and cardboard, contaminating that recycling stream. Consequently, loose, small rigid plastic items should be placed in the red-lid waste to landfill bin.

    However they can be recycled if placed inside a milk bottle.  When the bottle is full, the lid should be put on and the bottle placed in the recycling bin. Sorters at the MRF will easily be able to identify the milk bottle with lids for recycling with other mixed plastics. 

  • Is it a soft plastic eg plastic bag, film wrap, magazine and newspaper wrap, food packaging?
    Soft plastics must be put in the red-lid waste to landfill bin. Clean, dry, soft plastics can be recycled at some Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.

See Recycling bin for more information about what can and cannot go in your recycling bin.

Still not sure how to correctly dispose of an item? Visit the A-Z Guide to Waste and Recycling at westtorrens.sa.gov.au/a-zrecycling

What does this symbol mean?

recycle.jpg

This symbol is known as the Recycling Mobius and is the universal recycling symbol.

What do the numbers mean?

Symbol

Type of plastic

Common uses

 

plastic-1.png

Polyethylene Terephthalate
PET

[PET is also referred to as Polyester]

  • Carbonated soft drink, water and juice bottles
  • Medicine jars
  • Fibre for clothing and carpet
  • Strapping and rope
  • Bags for roasting or boiling food
  • Some shampoo and mouthwash bottles

 

plastic-2.png

High Density Polyethylene
HDPE

  • Milk and cream bottles / containers
  • Shampoo and conditioner bottles
  • Cleaning product bottles eg. bleach, detergent
  • Liners for snack food and cereal boxes
  • Rigid pipes
  • Crates, plant pots
  • Plastic wood, outdoor furniture
  • Wheelie bins, compost bins, worm farms

 

plastic-3.png

Vinyl or Polyvinyl Chloride
V or PVC

  • Clear cordial and juice bottles
  • Plumbing pipes and fittings
  • Guttering
  • Window and door frames
  • Carpet backing and vinyl floor covering
  • Credit cards
  • Synthetic leather products

 

plastic-4.png

Low Density Polyethylene
LDPE

  • Squeezable bottles eg. tomato sauce and syrup
  • Cling film and bubble wrap
  • Sandwich bags
  • Shopping bags (re-usable thick bags)
  • Irrigation pipes
  • Some bottle tops

 

plastic-5.png

Polypropylene
PP

  • Margarine/butter, Ice cream and yoghurt containers
  • Microwave ware, fridge ware
  • Most bottle tops
  • Bags and wrappers eg. potato chips, biscuits
  • Drinking straws
  • Hinged lunch boxes
  • Takeaway containers
  • Shopping bags (re-usable fabric/woven type)
  • Prescription bottles
  • Crates, plant pots
  • Fabric/carpet fibres
  • Heavy duty bags/tarpaulins

 
plastic-6.png

 

Polystyrene
PS

And Expanded Polystyrene
Sometimes shown as EPS

  • Yoghurt, margarine, butter containers/tubs
  • Disposable cutlery
  • Coat hangers
  • Seedling trays
  •  

  • Expanded PS
  • Packaging foam and 'peanuts'
  • Meat trays, takeaway cups and shells

 

plastic-7.png

Other

All other plastics including acrylic, nylon and bioplastic (PLA - polylactic acid).

  • Some sports drink bottles
  • Sunglasses
  • Large water cooler bottles
  • CDs
  • Baby bottles
  • Medical storage containers
  • Polycarbonate (PC)/Perspex

What plastics CANNOT be recycled in the yellow-lid recycling bin?

If the plastic is:

  • Polystyrene (PS, sometimes labelled EPS to indicate that it has been 'expanded' with gas to form a foam) or
  • Soft plastic (which is essentially 2 dimensional),

do not put it in the yellow-lid recycling bin.

Australasian Recycling Label

You may have noticed a new labelling system on some products.  This is the Australasian Recycling Label which is a standardised labelling system for Australia and New Zealand which aims to provide recycling information to consumers so that they know which parts of their packaging belong in the recycling bin, the rubbish bin, or can be returned to Coles or Woolworths stores at their soft plastic collection bins.  For more information visit arl.org.au.  

Download the Planet Ark fact sheet.

There are three types of recycling information that can appear on a label:

recycling-labels.png

 

 

Pages in this section

  • About your bins
  • A-Z guide to waste and recycling
  • Bindy the Waste and Recycling Chatbot
  • Tips to reduce waste
  • Organics bin and food waste recycling
  • Recycling bin
  • Waste to landfill bin
  • Electronic & electrical waste
  • Hard waste
  • Bin collection notifications
  • Chemicals and paint
  • Illegal dumping
  • Education - School and Community
  • Where recyclables go after collection
  • Plastic Recycling: it's not by numbers!

Pages in this area

  • About your bins
  • A-Z guide to waste and recycling
  • Bindy the Waste and Recycling Chatbot
  • Tips to reduce waste
  • Organics bin and food waste recycling
  • Recycling bin
  • Waste to landfill bin
  • Electronic & electrical waste
  • Hard waste
  • Bin collection notifications
  • Chemicals and paint
  • Illegal dumping
  • Education - School and Community
  • Where recyclables go after collection
  • Plastic Recycling: it's not by numbers!

On this page

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Related content

  • Recycling (yellow lid)
  • Waste to landfill (red lid)
  • About your bins
  • A-Z recycling guide

Civic Centre

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Email Library
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