KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some recyclable plastics do not get recycled in Knoxville, according to WestRock, the company that sorts and sells the city's recycling.
If you look at the bottom of a plastic item, you'll typically find a number from 1 through 7 with a triangular recycling symbol around it. That number is important because it tells you what type of plastic it is.
All of these plastics are recyclable, but that doesn't mean they'll actually be recycled. A company needs to buy those items to reuse them, and some plastics lack a market.
Plastics #3 through #7 are recyclable, but WestRock said it's difficult to find companies to buy them and recycle them.
These recyclables include non-PET rigid plastics used in things like some salad dressing bottles, squeezable bottles such as honey or mustard containers, drinking straws, plastic plates, reusable drinking bottles, and more.
Only Plastics #1 and #2 -- PET and HDPE containers -- make it through the sorting process. These are the most common plastic containers, and typically include things such as soda bottles, milk jugs, and shampoo bottles.
If you're an avid recycler -- you need to pay attention to the plastic number before putting it in your bin.
The city of Knoxville sends its curbside and most of its drop-off recycling to WestRock. WestRock sorts and sells the recyclables to companies around the Southeast that do the actual recycling.
- Steel goes to Gerdau Ameristeel in Knoxville
- Aluminum goes to Arconic in Alcoa
- Paper and cardboard stay with WestRock
- Plastic (#1 and #2) go to Mohawk Flooring in Georgia
"There is a very limited market for 3-7's," said Courtney James, the Director of Corporate Communications for WestRock.
Knoxville's recycling coordinator Patience Melnik said those items get taken out of the stream while sorting.
Melnik said Knoxville recycles glass, but they do not accept it in curbside recycling bins.
"They cause all kinds of problems," said Melnik. "They break into little shards and they contaminate other materials."
The city's drop-off recycling centers accept glass, where it's already sorted and can be shipped directly to the buyer.
Melnik said another mistake people in Knoxville make is putting their recycling in unrecyclable plastic bags. She said plastic bags and glass contaminate the load.
Experts said aluminum is one of the easiest metals to recycle. At Arconic in Alcoa, crews said the cans they sell are made with more than 70% recycled material.
"Anytime that you drink a beverage can in about 60 days, that same can be back out on the shelf being purchased by the consumer," said David Hovater.
Knoxville has a tool for what should and shouldn't be recycled.