Plastics Recycling in Philadelphia
June 17th, 2010#5 plastics recycling & more this Saturday at Weaver’s Way Co-Op in Mt. Airy!
Fellow Recyclers,
The next collection of #5 plastics will be this coming Saturday, June 19th, from 10am to 1pm at the garage of the Weavers Way Co-op, at 542 Carpenter Lane (across the street and a bit further down the block from the Big Blue Marble bookstore).
Please note that we will also be taking used household batteries and egg cartons!
Also, as you know, we ask recyclers for a small donation to cover postage costs of mailing the recyclables to the Gimme 5 processing facility in New York state. Any donations not needed to cover our costs will go into the Weavers Way environment committee’s recycling fund, from which grants are given to various environmental community projects every spring. Since we no longer have a major funding source for the grants, you are encouraged to be generous in what you donate at the collections!.
There are a several work shifts open for this Saturday’s collection. You can sign up the help us on the Weavers Way work calendar or by replying to this email. Experienced helpers are especially needed!
If you haven’t already signed up for Philadelphia’s Recycling Rewards program, which starts in NW Philly next month, Carolyn Scott can sign you up at Saturday’s collection.
See you then!
Stevik
- for the Weavers Way Environment Committee
Gimme 5 Collection Guidelines
The #5 plastics category includes most yogurt cups, sour cream containers, hummus tubs, some medicine bottles, and more. Your recyclables must be clean and dry to be accepted. Impurities of any kind compromise the recycling process and can lead the recycling facility to discard an entire batch. Exclude any lids unless they are clearly marked #5.
We ask recyclers for a small donation to cover postage costs of mailing the recyclables to the Gimme 5 processing facility in New York state.
Before bringing your #5s to the collection, be sure that they meet the requirements for Gimme 5:
* All items must be CLEAN and DRY. If they contained food or any oily or dirty product, make sure they have been washed, not just rinsed. Items stacked when wet tend to stay wet, so allow washed items to dry fully before stacking or packing.
* The #5 stamp needs to be visible on each item. Lids are separate items. Don’t assume lids are the same number plastic as the container; sometimes they are but usually they are not. Check to make sure there are no other materials (labels, paper, other number plastics, metal) on the items you bring in.
Brita filters are also welcome! Let them air dry for several days to make sure they are completely dry.
