Most of the plastic in your home is recyclable if it is clean and dry: water, juice and soft-drink bottles, detergent and shampoo bottles and jerrycans, and plastic buckets, barrels and crates. The hardest to recycle are foam, thin bags, multi-layer packaging and any plastic soiled with food. To see the items Plstka collects and the points for each, check the materials table.
What does the number in the triangle on a container mean?
The triangle with a number from 1 to 7 under most plastic containers doesn't mean the container was recycled or will surely be recycled; it is a code for the kind of plastic it is made of. That code decides where it gets sorted and what it becomes:
- 1 (PET): clear water, juice and soft-drink bottles, and clear food containers.
- 2 (HDPE): detergent and shampoo bottles, jerrycans, heavy plastic buckets and many caps.
- 3 (PVC): pipes, some hoses and plastic flooring.
- 4 (LDPE): thin bags, plastic film and squeezable bottles.
- 5 (PP): yoghurt and cheese tubs, heat-resistant food boxes and bottle caps.
- 6 (PS): white foam and single-use plates and cups.
- 7 (other): any mixed plastic or one not listed above.
Which plastics recycle easily?
Numbers 1 and 2 are the most common and the easiest to recycle, and they are also what most homes throw out: water and drink bottles, and detergent and shampoo bottles. Collected clean, this plastic is shredded, washed and made into new products. Large, heavy plastic pieces such as buckets, barrels and old tanks are wanted too.
Which plastics recycle, but with more difficulty?
Number 5 (yoghurt tubs and caps) recycles but needs to be clean of food. Number 4 (thin bags) is recycled in specialised plants, but it is very light, gets dirty fast and tangles in sorting machines, so many places don't take it. Number 3 (PVC) needs separate sorting and must not be mixed with the other kinds.
Which plastics are hard to recycle?
- Foam (number 6): very light and bulky for its weight, so it is hard to collect.
- Crisp and biscuit packets and coffee wrappers: made of several layers of plastic and aluminium bonded together that are hard to separate.
- Plastic soiled with food, oil or chemicals.
- Toys and tools that combine plastic, metal and electronics.
How do I prepare plastic before handing it over?
- Empty the container of any liquid or leftovers.
- Rinse it with a little water and let it dry.
- Crush it so it takes less room.
- Put the cap back on so it doesn't get lost on its own.
- Keep plastic in its own bag, apart from cardboard and metal cans.
What about plastic bags?
Best is to use fewer: take a cloth bag when you go shopping. Reuse the bags you already have, for shopping or as bags for sorting the rest of your waste. A bag used many times beats one recycled after a single use.
What's the difference between reusing and recycling?
Reusing means using the same thing again as it is, like refilling a water bottle or keeping something in a tub. Recycling means the material itself is sorted, shredded and turned into a new product in a factory. Both help, but the best order is: reduce first, then reuse, and finally hand over what's used up for recycling.
And be careful: not every container can be refilled with anything. Never put drinking water or food in containers that held detergents or chemicals.
What about broken or old plastic?
Cracked buckets and old plastic chairs and crates are usually made of heavy plastic, and being broken doesn't stop them being recycled as long as they're clean and have no metal or wood attached. Remove any metal parts that come off easily, and if you're not sure whether we collect an item, check the materials table or ask support in the app.
Why does cleanliness matter so much?
Dirty plastic lowers the quality of the whole batch it travels with at the factory, and sometimes makes all of it unusable. One container with oil or food left in it can soil a whole clean bag. That's why a quick rinse at home makes more difference than you'd think.
How do I hand plastic to Plstka?
Pick the plastic items you have in the app, and once your order reaches the minimum points, send it. The collector comes on your area's fixed day and weighs the plastic at your door, and the points land in your account to swap for gifts. The service is free.
See the points for each material · Find your area's pickup day · Get the app