Most plastics are not biodegradable, contain harmful chemicals and, when disposed of, can damage the environment. If certain plastic items are discarded willy-nilly, they can cause great distress to animals. Two examples are fishing line, often left near rivers, and rings of plastic from beer cans; both can result in great suffering, sometimes with fatal results. Please dispose of such items safely.
As far as professional recycling is concerned, plastics are clearly big business. We have seen publicity which indicates that recycling is alive and well but the elaborate pamphlets, declaring the successful statistics, seem to emanate from the industry itself and the publicity is obviously well financed. Our primary focus is on domestic facilities.
There are some household recycling schemes in the UK but unfortunately not all councils are effective. A quick tour on the net reveals that some, but by no means all, authorities offer kerbside schemes for various recyclable waste (including plastics) and are prepared to separate the paper, metal, plastic etc. One obvious alternative is to reuse bottles, containers and bags and by their very nature this is a very practical option. 'Re-use' is very efficient and it saves you money.
In theory, much of the plastic produced as waste could be recycled but there are practical problems because there are so many different forms and types (hundreds), and most are lightweight. This means that collecting and transporting can be expensive. At some stage the types must be sorted and often the items must be cleaned before processing. This is reflected in our local council recycling scheme which allows only plastic bottles to be deposited in the kerb-side container.

To make some sense of the different types consider the common categorisations : Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Acrylonitrite Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyester (PET).

In order to assist the consumer separate plastic items, the American Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) produced a marking code to enable individuals to sort the six main types of plastic. The British Plastics Federation (BPF) and The Association of Plastics manufacturers in Europe (APME) recommend the use of this system. The coding is identified by an acronym and a number.
If you've not noticed these before you may see the following codes on some of your domestic containers. Often they are on the base (make sure the lid is secure before looking!).

The codings are listed below together with some examples:

	PET or PETE: this is ubiquitous and is capable of producing transparent containers eg bottles for pressurised and soft drinks, mouthwash, household cleansers, liquid soap. When recycled may be used for carpet fibres, clothing and mouldings etc.
	PE-HD or HDPE (high density PE): some of these products are substantial and capable of being reused for years (providing the original contents are not toxic) milk and fruit juice bottles and jugs, bleach, detergent, fabric-softener, deodorant roll-ons and washing-up liquid containers. When recycled they can still be used for some of the above and also for bins and traffic cones etc.
	PVC or V: can be used for transparent containers, non fizzy drinks (squashes), cooking oil, surgical spirit, meths and cosmetics bottles and some plumbing pipes. When recycled appear as floor mats, hoses and mud-flaps etc. PVC can be particularly dangerous when incinerated [see our synopsis of WEEE in the Electrical/Electronic section].
	PE-LD or LDPE (low density PE): food wrapping, and containers and lids for food. When recycled can be seen as carrier bags and bin-liners, even garden furniture.
	PP: food wrapping, yoghurt, and spread containers, medicine bottles and hand cream dispensers. When recycled may be used for brushes, video cassettes, plastic wheels, ice scrapers etc.
	PS: compact-disc jewel cases, hot-drink cups, cassette cases, disposable cutlery. When recycled may be used similarly but also rubbish cans, insulation, letter openers etc.
Despite being common, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) does not have its own coding for the consumer. We take the liberty of squeezing it in here. If you get EPS packaging or seed trays, try breaking them up and using the lumps in pots for drainage. Or break into even smaller pieces and mix with garden compost to use in pots, window boxes and hanging baskets. The EPS helps drainage, aeration and insulation and you use less compost. EPS can be commercially recycled back into making: EPS packaging; plastic products like plant pots, coat hangers, CD cases; hardwood replacement (by extruding EPS) for garden furniture, window frames etc; insulation board.
	Other or O: all other resins such as ABS and polycarbonate. Used for durable goods such as waste pipes, kitchen gadgets, car trims, computer cases, laminates. Not much recycling done with these but there are exceptions eg to make brushes, scrapers etc.
In summary: recycling of plastics has its difficulties partly because most materials are not dense enough to make collection and transport economic. We guess that this property also makes them particularly demanding on landfill sites. Sorting and cleaning add to the handling problems. It seems that some councils have better records than others for recycling household plastics and maybe those that haven't got such a record should be persuaded to look for and emulate best practice. It may be that the costs of collection, transport, sorting and cleaning could be offset by the savings on landfill, or other means, for disposal. Additionally, of course, the environment would benefit and that has got to be worth some expense. The UK government espouses kerbside recycling but it appears that the actual implementation is disparate across different communities. The good news in 2006 is that recycling facilities are improving noticeably