HDPE, #2
Chances are you use a lot of stuff made out of HDPE around your home, from firm containers and jugs for detergent and milk, to shampoo bottles and plastic cutting boards. HDPE, marked with the number 2, can also be used to make flimsier plastic items, like some of the plastic bags you’d get at a convenience store or the bags inside cereal boxes.
Recycling HDPE can be a little tricky. Firmer stuff made out of HDPE, like bottles and jugs, can usually be recycled curbside (although some municipalities will only recycle containers with necks, like milk jugs). Despite this, less than 30%of HDPE bottles were recycled in the U.S. in 2018. The thinner versions of HDPE, like plastic bags, can’t be put out with the jugs and bottles because they can get caught in the machinery used to process recyclables. The best way to recycle those bags is to find a specialty drop-off location.
