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There are about 50 different groups of plastics, with hundreds of different varieties. All types of plastic are recyclable. To make sorting and recycling easier, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking code to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastic. These types and their most common uses are:

	PET (or PETE)	Polyethylene terephthalate – Fizzy drink bottles and oven-ready meal trays.
	HDPE	High-density polyethylene – Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids.
	PVC	Polyvinyl chloride – Food trays, cling film, bottles for squash, mineral water and shampoo.
	LDPE	Low density polyethylene – Carrier bags and bin liners.
	PP	Polypropylene – Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays.
	PS	Polystyrene – Yogurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys.
	OTHER	Any other plastics that do not fall into any of the above categories. An example is melamine, which is often used in plastic plates and cups.

Electronics recycling events have been so popular that we have organized cleanups again and again as a way to dispose of, or recycle, components of electronics. Waste electronics are hard to dispose of, and can be quite costly. They include computers, monitors, keyboards (laptops, too), scanners, printers, copiers/fax machines, cell/corded phones, ink jet and laser cartridges, stereos, and batteries (rechargeable and non).

Watch your local newspaper. To dispose of televisions, however, a $20 fee is imposed due to the restrictions of ‘electronics’.

Cell phones contain no less than 8 toxic substances including: arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc.

Obsolete cellular phones are becoming a very large part of our waste stream. Over 65 million cellular phones are stockpiled in U.S. households creating 30,000 tons of potentially hazardous waste. This year an estimated 130 million cellular phones will be discarded annually in the U. S. alone.

On the average Americans replace their cellular phones every 18 months, and it is predicted that this will increase to every 12 months. Because of this the Co-op has started a cellular phone recycling collection program for unwanted cellular telephones and accessories. Collection Boxes are located at the following sites. We hope you will take advantage of this free disposal opportunity.

Collection boxes are located in the lobbies of these environmentally-conscious businesses:

Plastics

Electronics Recycling

Recycling Cell Phones