Daily Tip: Recycling Yogurt Containers
Many residential recycling programs don’t accept yogurt containers because of the type of plastic they are made of. Many yogurt containers and margarine tubs are made with #5 plastics (polypropylene) or #2 (HDPE - High Density Polyethylene), while many clear soda and water bottles are made from #1 (PET - polyethylene terephthalate) and cloudy bottles, such as milk jugs, are made of #2 plastics.
Why can’t the makers of yogurt switch plastics? For one thing, as yogurt maker Stonyfield Farms has discovered, making the lightweight plastic tubs out of #5 plastics actually saves resources and uses less plastic overall.
By using #5 plastic instead of #2, each year we prevent the manufacture and disposal of over 100 tons of plastic, resulting in environmental savings from the decreased air emissions and resource depletion from the manufacture and distribution of the packaging. In addition, the polypropylene is manufactured without the use of chlorine, thus eliminating the hazards of deadly dioxin releases during manufacture and incineration, which occur with certain other plastics.
However, even if wide-mouthed containers were made from #2 plastics (and many are), they might not be getting recycled anyway. While recycling companies may accept all #2 plastics to avoid consmer confusion, some just recycle bottles and not wide-mouthed containers since these different shapes are molded using different processes and have different melting points.
So should you stop eating yogurt? Not necessarily. Unlike other yogurt manufacturers, to further reduce their impact, Stonyfield created a partnership with Recycline, makers of Preserve toothbrushes and razors, to give #5 plastic containers another life. If your local recycling program does not accept #5 plastic containers, you can send clean Stonyfield cups to Stonyfield Farms to ensure your yogurt cups stay out of the landfill.
Visit Planetsave to find out how to help Stonyfield Farms fight climate change.
Entry updated 9/28/07 to reflect that soda and water bottles are made with #1 plastics and #2 plastics, not just #2 as previously stated.
Tags: Daily Tips, Environment, Food, Home and Garden, packaging, plastic, polypropylene, recycling, Stonyfield, yogurt containers
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September 26th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
In cradle2cradle design, #5 plastic is better. #5 or polypropylene is a thermoplastic. It can be melted and remade into other items with low or no loss in quality much like glass or aluminum. #2 plastic degrades over time and can not be remolded. You can grind up and pelletize #2 bottles to make fleece jackets, but it will never be a bottle again. Unfortunately, #5 plastic is recyclable but hard to recycle. In Ann Arbor, there is only one waste disposal outfit that recycles #5 plastic and they do most of their business with preconsumer waste from factories.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Soda bottles are not HDPE (#2). They are PET which has the resin code #1. PET is used to make fiber filled jackets, t-shirts, etc.
September 28th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Thanks for the comment. Clear soda and water bottles are made with PET, resin code #1. We have made the correction above.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
In reference to the comment above, “If your local recycling program does not accept #5 plastic containers, you can send clean Stonyfield cups to Stonyfield Farms to ensure your yogurt cups stay out of the landfill.”
Why would you waste the resources and packaging to SEND the cups back? I think this person had good intentions, but is an example of how irrational some have become about the environment. This is similar to the concept of using corn as a ethanol; I’ve heard from numerous engineers that it actually REQUIRES MORE fossil fuel ENERGY [to produce ethanol from corn] than it actually GENERATES.
We’re all in agreement things need to change for the better, and fast, but please don’t leave the common sense at home folks. Peace.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:35 am
> Why would you waste the resources and packaging to SEND the cups back?
Um, you _don’t_. You just reuse packaging that you’ve already saved and have lying around for such a purpose. I mean, if you buy something at Amazon, you’re not going to throw out the box, are you?
Sheesh, talk about common sense….