On average, 1,500 plastic bottles are used every second in
the United States. That's over 129 million every day. Plastic becomes a variety of new products when it's recycled: fleece jackets, pillows, trash cans, carpet, auto parts, and plastic lumber, to name a few.

These items prevent new materials from being harvested and are also excellent products. For example, plastic lumber is virtually maintenance free, lasts for 50 years and holds nails and screws better than wood.

Find Your Number
  • Look on the bottom of a plastic product and find the recycle
    symbol with a number 1 through 7 inside. Community recycling programs recycle plastics with some or all of these numbers.
  • Find out which numbers your community accepts and collect
    those for recycling.
Don't recycle plastic film with plastic containers and bottles.

How to Help
  • Buy products made from recycled plastic.
  • Reduce the amount of plastic you buy. For example: store food
    in washable glass containers and drink water from a
    reusable container.