Keep Your Caps On!

You finish the last swallow of your soda, water or juice and look for the nearest recycling bin for the plastic bottle. Just then you pause, wondering if the lid should go in the bin too. Should you put it back on the bottle? Would it be better to just throw it in the trash?

If you live in Stafford County or inside the city limits of Fredericksburg you should recycle the cap! The confusion for the average consumer comes from not wanting to attempt to recycle something that is not recyclable. According to Tim Lee, the Business Development Manager of TFC Recycling, which holds the current contract for processing much of the R-Board’s recyclables, it is preferable to squash the bottle and then replace the cap before recycling it. The plastic bottle is most likely made from PET #1 plastic which is readily recyclable in most recycling programs. The plastic caps are usually made from polypropylene or #5 plastic. Lee says that during the process, the bottles are separated from their caps and supply another market.

If the caps are tossed into the recycling bin separately, it is likely that they will fall through the conveyor system at the TFC or other material recovery facility and be landfilled with the rest of the residue that is not recyclable. If the bottles are not crushed before the caps are replaced, then there is quite a bit of air in the truckloads or dumpsters and recycling is not as efficient as it could be. Quickly stepping on the bottle and twisting the cap back on is the best way to recycle plastic bottles and recover more material.

If you live in another jurisdiction besides Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg, check with your Public Works or Landfill staff to find out the correct way to recycle your plastic bottles and caps.

Here is a link to additional information from the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers:http://www.plasticsrecycling.org/faqs/caps-on-faq