Posted: Monday, July 7, 2008 12:00 am
One of the many puzzling aspects of our recycling life now is the injunction against putting plastic bottle caps in with the bottles on which they came.
We got this warning when Allied Waste rolled out its new carts to replace the old recycling bins. Take off the caps before recycling plastic bottles, we were told; the caps cannot be recycled and are trash.
But why, the conscientious recycler wants to know. Isn't one plastic as good as anothjer? Can't they all be melted down and formed into park benches or railroad ties or something?
We are indebted to Austin College in Sherman, Texas, for a partial exlanation.
The school explains things to its students in an online feature: "Bottle caps are made out of a different type of plastic than the bottle or container and are not recyclable. Additionally, the caps become projectiles when plastic bottles are crushed during the recycling process and can jam the machinery."
So now, if someone wanted to be really green, he'd have to invent and use a plastic bottle without a cap. (hh)