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• Reputation: 6000 Q&A: 113 0 11 4226 721 3 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 6

  1 0 Seattle doesn't use those numbers. They don't care. Don't look at them. It's all about categories here. Plastic food containers ARE recyclable. Styrofoam is not. Also, any kind of plastic bottle, plastic plant pot, or plastic lid wider than 3". Fnarf answered in Recycle/Re-Use about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by Fnarf… 0 0 PS - yes, wash them. Fnarf commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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• Reputation: 3 Q&A: 0 0 0 3 0 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Recycle/Re-Use Follow Following 0 Tom Gannon

  1 0 Fnarf is correct is stating that we do not use the number system. This is because the number only tells you what the polymer is but not the extrusion process used which changes the nature of the polymer. For instance, "6" is PS or polystyrene. The most common extrusion is for Styrofoam. Not recyclable. However, those clear clamshells you often see at salad bars etc. are also "6" polytyrene and are reyclable. Those are blow molded and keep much more density than the foam process. Same polymer, different extrusion process and so different recyclabilty. Bringing your own container for takeout is becoming more and more common though some restaurants hesitate to allow it. "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" are the "3 Rs" of solid waste management and they are in the order of importance. Reducing the amount of wasteful products is the most desirable as you never have to deal with the consequences of materials or items you never have in the first place. Reusing those items you do need is the next priority and few things are as reusable as tupperware! Failing that, recycling is the next best option. Some restaurants are uncomfortable with allowing their customers to use their own to-go containers. This is because restaurants spend a lot of time, energy, and money ensuring that the food you get is uncontaminated. They are responsible for making sure their customers do not get sick from what they are selling. As they do not have any control over the customer's container before it is given to them some feel that that is a potential liability for them and would rather you used one of their products which they have more faith in. Folks do indeed wash out their clamshells. Dirty recycling isn't recycling. It's garbage. Some recycling is so valuable it may be worth washing or cleaning is some way (aluminum) but the economy of scale with recycling does not normally allow for extra steps in the processing. Messaging around recycling becomes more nuanced the more sophisticated our programs get. It can be confusing, especially for folks that are visting or just moved here. We do try to be as consitent as we can with our messaging and make it as simple as possible. Unfortuneately, it is not always that simple or cut and dry and we very much appreciate the questions we get as it shows folks are paying attention. Even I thought we could recycle dog food bags years ago and I was wrong. Tom Gannon answered in Recycle/Re-Use about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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