Did
you know that bottle caps in some places cannot be recycled?
Maybe most of us are not aware
that bottle caps cannot be recycled. In some places in the U.S.A., they are
taking steps to create bottle cap programs and others that do not accept caps
for recycling.
Bottle caps are generally made
out of a different type of plastic than the bottle themselves. On the bottom of
the bottle, you will probably see a triangle with chasing arrows and a “1” on
the inside. That means the bottle is polyethylene,
a plastic generally accepted for recycling. On the other hand, the lid is
composed of polypropylene, a type of
plastic that is used to create strong plastics. It doesn’t have a number on it,
or if it does, it’s a different number that some recyclers do not accept.
They cannot be recycled together
as they have a difference in melting point of nearly 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If
a cap gets mixed in with bottles, the entire consignment may be ruined because
there is un-melted plastic in the mix. Even if you are able to recycle bottle
caps, recycling is very inefficient and what you’re actually doing is downcycling or the process of converting
waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of lesser
quality and reduced functionality.
Many people recycle bottle caps
for DIY projects like creating soap bar holders, curtains and others. We can
also do this to reduce chemical hazards and at the same time may improve our
creativity and clean living.
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