Each plastic package is marked with a triangle that has a number inside. It can be found on the back of the product label or at the bottom of the container. The number indicates the type of material the plastic is made of. There are 7 of them:

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The majority of clear bottles and food packaging are made of this plastic.
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). White milk bottles of all sizes, bleach-type bottles, washing machine bottles, and some bottle caps are made of this plastic.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). This is used in clear bottles, food trays, toys, piping, and wire insulation.
Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE). Plastic bags, plastic packaging, and plastic wrap are made of this.
Polypropylene (PP). It’s used in butter and margarine tubs, clear fresh soup containers, some bottle caps, and glass jar caps.
Polystyrene (PS). It’s used in yogurt containers, insulated disposable cups, some trays, and parcel packaging.
Other types of plastic (OTHER). Reading glasses, CDs and DVDs and cases, some electrical connections and wiring, and general household plastics are usually made of this.

The latter type of plastic can’t be recycled so far. Throw the packaging made of this plastic into the general waste container. The plastics from types 1 to 6 are accepted for recycling, but not everywhere.

Almost every recycling station accepts types 1 and 2. If there is a recyclable waste container near your house, you can throw away these plastics there. Types 3 to 6 are not widely accepted, but sometimes they are accepted only at special stations.

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