When buying juice, milk, water or soft drink containers, it’s important to look for plastic handles because they are more eco-friendly and can be recycled. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum. It has a large strength to density ratio and is commonly recycled and has the number “2” as its resin identification code. It’s one of the most important types of plastic to recycle because of its high recycled value. Learn more below about the why and how of recycling these handles.
Why Recycle
When you correctly recycle your plastic handles, they can be turned back into something. This is highly preferable than making product from raw resources. It saves energy, water, resources, saves landfill space and reduces pollution. Without recycling, it is non-biodegradable and can take a very long time to decompose. That is why it’s vital that it gets recycled and used again.
The worldwide market for HDPE is huge, with the market value of around 300 million tons per year. If properly recycled it can turn into crates, floor tiles, gardening tools, flower pots, film plastic or sheeting, pipes, plastic lumber, recycling or bottles for shampoo, conditioner, cleaning products, laundry cleaners, motor oil, antifreeze and so much more.
How to Recycle
Curbside recycling programs almost always accept HDPE plastics – but ask before you include it in your bin to make sure. Some items that use HDPE plastics are plastic bags, water bottles, plastic handles, cleaning and cosmetic containers and anything else labeled number “2” recycling. Also, some grocery stores have drop-off recycling locations.
Remember not to put your recyclables into a plastic bag and tie it shut, as many workers in the recycling facilities do not have time to open them and sort their contents. These bags will be thrown into the garbage and end up in a landfill. Take the time and organize the contents yourself.
If you’re removing the plastic handle from a beverage container, you can recycle the beverage too! Look at both the lid and the bottle to see how they should be recycled, as they often are made of different materials.
