HDPE 5 Plastic Recycling

[cannon_fodder]

Anyone know of a place I can recycle this?  I have saved a bit of it from yogurt containers and QT cups, but don't know where to take it.   Am I just not looking closely?

Also, Michael, does "donating" aluminum cans to the MET help with your budget very much?  It isn't worth my pain in the neck to take them somewhere, but some people act like I've giving up a small fortune.  I don't see too many people dropping them off either.

Thanks in advance.

[RecycleMichael]

There is very little #5 plastic recycling in America. The problem is that all plastics melt differently and it is hard to make new products with varying melt indeces. If we had a company that would accept this plastic, we would start collecting it. It is really an example of supply and demand. If more products were made with this type of plastic, we could probably find a manufacturer who could use them.   

Surprisingly, some communities collect these in their recycling bins, then just throw them away after collection. They think it is easier to accept them and sort them out rather than try to educate their citizens on what is really recyclable. OKC collects them, but admits they haven't recycled any of them yet. At least they are warehousing them hoping to find a home someday.

Yes to your second question. I would love your beer and soda cans and they are each worth about a penny and a half to me (I get a better than average price because of volume). In the big picture, I just want you to recycle them. If you donate them to us, sell them and use the money to buy stuff, or donate them to a homeless person (some of the best recyclers), it doesn't matter. The important thing is to recycle them.

Recycling aluminum cans also save energy. Recycling a single can versus making a new can from virgin materials saves enough energy to run a television set for three hours.

[TheArtist]

Question... Are the lids off of Jelly Jars and the like the same thing as aluminum cans? How bout soup cans and tuna cans? I just started recycling my cans and such and have been throwing all that in there lol.  Also saving my glass stuff. Havent gone whole hog doing plastic and paper too yet.

One thing I have realized that there might be a market for.... designer recycling bins. Been trying to figure out something to put the different recyclables in that wont look ugly. Most people have a discreet spot inside a pantry or built in cabinet/trash thing, but not a place for 2-4 recycling bins. They need to be in an immediately accessible spot for people to conveniently use, aka, in the kitchen or pantry. But people arent going to want to put out some ugly plastic bins.

Right now I have 2 paper bags sitting out in plain sight. One for glass, the other for cans. A deplorable situation. I have an idea in mind. A tall wooden box, about the size of a hamper with a lid. But the problem I could see is that glass and paper can be quite heavy and not easy to pull the bag out of such a box so I had the idea of the front of the box being able to unlatch at the top, and tilt out so the bag comes out easily. The wooden exteriors could be painted and or stained to look antiqued and old world, and have, say, the word Cans, Bottles, Paper, Plastic painted on the fronts in French or Italian.  Hmmm,,,, perhaps I could sell these suckers on Ebay and make some dough.

[RecycleMichael]

I would like some nicer looking recycling bins, but they can work against the effort. I have been meeting with BokCenter officials to increase their recycling efforts and one of the problems is that the recycle bins look to nice. I would also like better looking trash cans, so maybe we can brainstorm some ideas there as well.

The lids you mention are probably not recyclable. I would have to see them to be sure. The beverage cans are almost always solid aluminum and recyclable. Food cans are usually steel, but some, like the cat food cans you mentioned, are a bi-metal and hard to recycle.

[cannon_fodder]

Thanks RM.

I guess I'll just keeping using the Yogurt containers as seed starters and the QT cups for various tasks.  I try to reuse them a couple times at QT, but beyond that it doesn't seem healthy.   Oh well . . .

[PepePeru]

What can be done with cereal boxes, beer boxes, (paperboard & cardboard)

yes, i see on your website to take this to Sand Springs or B.A.

Why are there dumpsters there and not at one met facility in Tulsa?

I've seen you say in the past, to ask a business to handle this for citizens...grocery store or whatever.  Do these businesses pay or get paid for these items to be picked up?

I had a ton of cardboard after moving, which I did drive to Sand Springs, but that seems counterproductive to drive 20 miles round trip to recycle them...

What are the chances of a dumpster or two at a met facility in Tulsa happening and if that  is not possible could you start a 'recommended' list of places that will take your paperboard and cardboard?

What do you do with yours?

I've never understood this or why these materials cannot be picked up curbside.

and yeah, same with the HDPE 5.  You'd think QT alone would be a big enough client to warrant a local HDPE 5 recycler.  Walking down the street from the QT near my house, I counted 5 cups just laying there...

[Conan71]

and yeah, same with the HDPE 5.  You'd think QT alone would be a big enough client to warrant a local HDPE 5 recycler.  Walking down the street from the QT near my house, I counted 5 cups just laying there...

Did you at least pick them up and put them in a receptacle?

[PepePeru]

Did you at least pick them up and put them in a receptacle?

sometimes i do.
sometimes i don't.

depends on my mood & motivation.

this time, no, i did not.  around this area, it would equate to pissing in the wind.

made up for it yesterday by picking up 4 plastic bottles,  2 aluminum cans at a local park yesterday and threw in my recycling bin.