Plastic #5 (Polypropylene) Burbank Recycle Center Drop-Off Recycle Container TIPS: All plastic items should be at least 4″ in diameter. Small items fall through our sorting machinery. For takeout containers, clear and colored #5 are allowed but NO BLACK (black are not desirable for recycling). For more information regarding the difficulties of recycling black plastic, please visit Earth-911 page: Recycling Mystery: Black-Colored Plastic MINERAL- FILLED POLYPROPYLENE TAKE OUT CONTAINERS: These are While many #5 PP can be recycled, mineral-filled polypropylene is not. It is considered a ‘mixed material’ given it uses 40% less plastic material that is replaced with mineral fillers, such as calcium carbonate or talc, to strengthen the container. Clean Out Containers If a container once held food, clean and dry the container as well as you can before recycling it. Containers with food, liquids and other residues can contaminate whole batches of recycling and are often sent to a landfill. Keep Caps On When recycling plastic containers with caps, leave the caps on. While caps used to be difficult to separate from containers, recycling equipment and processes have advanced, and it is much easier now to recycle the whole bottle at once. Find out more from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (PDF). Avoid Heating Plastic Keep plastics containing food or drink out of the microwave, dishwasher and other hot places, like your car. The warmer plastic gets, the more it tends to break down, melt and release chemicals. Did You Know? What Items Are Made From Plastic #5? Plastic #5 is used to make items including yogurt cups and tubs, margarine tubs, syrup bottles, plastic bottle caps, straws, food storage containers, sunglasses, plastic furniture, and car parts such as bumpers and trim. What Plastic #5 Can Become Plastic #5 can be recycled into battery cables and cases, brooms, brushes, bicycle racks and ice scrapers.
