Monday, March 16, 2009

May I put this plastic tub in my recycling bin?

A friend brought me this warehouse-store-sized plastic tub, made from plastic resin #1. She knew it wasn’t recyclable in our Montgomery County program, but hoped that maybe I’d have a (re)use for it.

I tried, but a few weeks later, it was still gracing the same spot in my office, untouched. Before I tossed it out, though, I had one more thing to do: photograph it for our plastics do’s and don’t gallery.

We do accept plastic containers, tubs and lids pails and buckets; we can’t take non-bottle items made from resins #1 (polyethylene terephthalate) -- like this tub and lid -- or #6 (polystyrene and Styrofoam™ products).

Are you unsure about whether to toss a plastic item into your recycling bin or trash can? Write to us with a description, and we'll share the answers here.