Resource Recycling Magazine: Teaching beyond resin codes

## Teaching beyond resin codes

_By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling_

The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers wants to do away the tiny little numbers on the bottoms of plastic bottles -- at least for educational efforts.

Announced in a webinar, APR's "[Education Without Numbers][1]" campaign is premised on the idea that the resin identification code, the numbers ensconced in the chasing arrows symbol, is confusing to the public, and there are better ways to communicate to consumers about what's recyclable and what's not.

"Smart education and outreach are worth every penny, but remember that when engaging your recycling public, no one approach fits all needs," reads the text from the initiative's website. "And those tiny, little numbers on the bottom of a bottle? They're not smart outreach tools. Those resin identification codes may indicate a plastic bottle's past but they don't predict its future."

Instead, the APR is offering free images and language, also available in Spanish, that it hopes will clear up some of the confusion. Open-source and available for download, the materials are meant to be used on recycling bins to communicate to the public what specific plastic containers are accepted.

The materials can be used for bins that accept:

* All plastic bottles.
* All plastic bottles and containers.
* All plastic bottles and containers and no thermoform.
* Clean rigid plastics, no bags and no foam.
* All clean plastics, including bags and wraps that should be bundled.

The materials also note that caps should be kept on and food should be removed. Almost all note that no foam, bags or wraps can be accepted. Additionally, the APR recommends that local recycling programs send out brochures to the public letting them know what can be accepted for recycling and what can't.

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[1]: http://plasticsrecycling.org/market-development/education-without-numbers
[2]: http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/Rotchopperbanner_2012.jpg (Rotochopper Banner)
[3]: http://www.rotochopper.com/
[4]: http://www.resource-recycling.com/images/e-newsletterimages/RRe-news080112.html

URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/2976