Recycle

Recyclers are abuzz with the long-awaited news that Larimer County and Fort Collins residents may now recycle additional plastics.

County and city officials recently announced that clean, plastic food and beverage containers stamped with the chasing arrows numbered "1" through "7" will be accepted for recycling from the curbside pickup program and local drop-offs.

All the trash haulers in Fort Collins have confirmed their readiness to accept the new materials from residential customers.

So what is allowed? According to the general guidelines, containers must be marked with a number (1-7) and free of food debris. No containers larger than 2½ gallons can be accepted.

Acceptable plastics include: beverage bottles and food tubs, clear clamshell containers, Nalgene bottles, buckets and pails, plant containers, plastic lids that snap on and personal care, prescription, vitamin and household product containers.

Unacceptable plastics include: plastic caps that screw on, Styrofoam, plastic bags, shrink wrap, automotive product containers, pesticide containers, food trays and party platters, microwaveable food trays, plastic cutlery and compostable plastic cups and containers.

Our area is the first in Colorado to recycle plastics so broadly.

Roughly 7 to 8 percent of the globe's fossil fuels - millions of tons - are consumed making new plastics. Recycling one plastic bottle, as opposed to manufacturing a new one, saves enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.

Then there's the landfill space issue. A significant portion of the stuff in landfills is made of plastic, which is even more sobering when you realize plastics are made to last.

While recycling plastics is not a silver bullet to reducing our waste stream, it's certainly better than adding to the trash heap.

But before taking your wallet out for the next disposable purchase, consider source reduction alternatives such as refillable bottles, bulk food choices, purchases with the least amount of packaging and products made of recyclable and recycled packaging.

Ana Arias is public relations coordinator for the Natural Resources Department, city of Fort Collins. She can be reached at 221-6264 or aarias@fcgov.com.