2007-08-30 04:11:00 · 2 answers · asked by ? 4 in Environment ➔ Other - Environment
The triangle means that the plastic can be recycled. Plastics are not all alike and must be treated differently in order to effect that recycling. There are 7 different "families" of plastics and the number tell to which family the container belongs and, therefore, which process to use. That, at least, was the theory. In reality, I believe that most plastics are treated the same. Many are ground up, just melted, and woven into threads used in some rugs. Others are chipped and used as aggregate on highways or in concrete power poles. Regardless of the second (or third, etc) use for the plastics, it reduces the need for oil to produce fresh material and it reduces the burden on our garbage disposal facilities.
2007-08-30 04:25:17 · answer #1 · answered by MICHAEL R 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They identify what type of plastic it is... Some centers will only accept certain numbers.
2007-08-30 04:21:07 · answer #2 · answered by say_tay 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋