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SIR , I READ IN MY TEXTBOOK THAT SOME PLASTIC CAN BE RECYCLE. WHY SOME ONLY?WHAT MATERIALS IS USED TO MAKE IT?WHY OTHERS CANNOT RECYCLE?

At the MRF level,(Most Material Recovery Facilities) (MRFs – where trash haulers take the stuff people recycle) a container’s recyclability is determined by two non-mutually exclusive factors: (1) what resin it is made from (indicated by the ASTM code and triangle symbol on the bottom), and (2) the shape of the container.  However, at the macro-level, a container’s recyclability is determined by the market demand for that specific type of reclaimed product (taking into consideration both resin type and shape).
The numbered symbol on the bottom is an ASTM (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials) resin identification code that is used to help sort the type of plastic a product or package is made from – it doesn’t mean that it is actually recycled .


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