To Recycle Or Not Recycle The Bottle Tops; That Is The Question

Almost everything is recyclable, glass, metal, electronics, you name it. But why do so many municipalities in the USA still reject replacement bottle tops or plastic lids? The reason for this is the difference in materials. Not many people know but plastic lids or tops are made of different kind of plastic, hence, they need to be separated before being sent to recycling guys. “Just about any plastic can be recycled,” says Signe Gilson, Waste Diversion Manager for Seattle-based CleanScapes , “but when two types are mixed, one contaminates the other, reducing the value of the material or requiring resources to separate them before processing.”

Another problem with the replacement bottle tops is that these can pose safety risk for workers. These can jam the processing equipment. This is reason moat of the communities in the USA ask people to discards lids and caps by throwing them in a trash and not in a recycling bin. Although some communities are taking caps and lids in a separate batch, some of the others ask you discard them altogether. Although, plastic ones pose a problem, metal tops are comparatively easy to recycle. These don’t come with batch contamination risk. 

 

So, what is the best option for you? Well, one of the most practical ways to solve this riddle if you are planning to buy bottles in large numbers for a party is to use large containers and hence, reduce the use of plastic caps. But if you are using in small numbers, don’t forget to throw it in trash instead of a recycle bin. This means a huge favour to the recycling industry workers and trash collectors who won’t be in any kind of trouble due to your one practical step.