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Plastic recycling
The resin code names a plastic; it does not promise curbside acceptance. Check the local item list, prepare it as instructed, and get a current buyer quote before hauling.
22 min read
Check the local accepted-items list
Ask buyers for a current net quote
How much plastic gets recycled in the US?
The latest EPA material-by-material national series shown here uses 2018 data: it estimates that 8.7% of plastics generated were recycled, compared with 29.1% of PET bottles and jars. These are national waste estimates, not the acceptance rate for your local cart. EPA explains the dataset and material definitions.
These figures come from EPA's Facts and Figures series. RecycleFind publishes the recycling statistics reference, including tonnage recycled for each material from 1960 to 2018.
A resin code identifies the plastic used in a package; it does not tell you whether your city collects that item or whether a buyer wants it. First check curbside acceptance, then check any drop-off or buyer rules separately. The price shown at a recycling center may also depend on the load and service offered.
What does a plastic resin code tell you?
It identifies a resin family. It does not promise that a curbside program or local buyer accepts the item.
Use the code as a clue, not a collection rule
EPA says the number inside the chasing-arrows triangle identifies the type of plastic and does not necessarily mean the item is collected in your community. The shape and construction matter too: a molded bottle, a pouch with bonded layers, and a flexible wrapper may need different routes even when their labels look similar. Read EPA's explanation of resin codes.
What the code cannot tell you
- Whether your local cart accepts that item or format
- Whether the object is made from one material or bonded layers
- Whether an empty container is clean enough for the local program
- Whether a drop-off site or buyer accepts household quantities
- What preparation a specific program requires
Check two separate lists
- Curbside: your city or hauler's accepted-items list
- Drop-off: the site's own accepted items and preparation rules
- Sale: the buyer's grade, quantity, and contamination specifications
- Do not infer a buyer's price from a resin code or curbside list
Identify it without a home test
Start with the package
Look for the resin code and the package description. The code can help identify resin, but local collection lists usually name the accepted item or format.
- Check the local guide for the exact item, not only the number.
- Distinguish a rigid bottle or tub from a bag, pouch, foam tray, or wrapper.
- Keep compostable-labeled packaging out of plastic recycling unless your program explicitly accepts it.
If there is no code
For household sorting
- Search the item in the municipal waste lookup.
- Check the manufacturer's packaging instructions.
- If the material remains unclear, use a staffed drop-off or ask the program.
For a resale load
- Do not guess a resin from its sound, feel, or appearance.
- Ask the buyer to identify the grade before combining items.
- Get the acceptance and price terms before loading a vehicle.
Do not burn, heat, or smell an unknown plastic
A safer rule
- Flame, odor, and float tests are unnecessary for curbside sorting.
- Heating or burning plastic can expose you to hazardous fumes or fire.
- Use the local accepted-items list for curbside collection.
- For a commercial load, have the receiving buyer confirm the grade and specifications.
Look it up
- Municipal waste lookup
- Product or manufacturer page
- Local recycling provider
Keep parts together as directed
- Some programs ask you to leave caps on bottles.
- Others name separate preparation steps.
- Follow your own program's posted rule.
When no route is listed
- Do not put an uncertain item in the cart to test it.
- Ask the hauler or take it to an authorized drop-off.
- For buyer loads, sort only to the buyer's written specification.
How do you compare a PET, HDPE, or film quote?
There is no standard household rate. Confirm the buyer's current grade, preparation rules, minimum amount, and deductions before you collect plastic.
PET and HDPE containers
Keep them separate only when the receiver asks
PET bottles and tubs
Ask which PET grade the buyer accepts
- Confirm which PET items and colors the buyer wants
- Ask whether caps, rings, and labels stay on or come off
- Empty and remove visible food; ask about rinsing and moisture
- Request the buyer's contamination threshold and minimum load
HDPE containers
Ask whether color changes the grade
- Confirm whether the buyer takes jugs, detergent bottles, tubs, or all three
- Ask if natural and colored containers need separate loads
- Check the instructions for caps, pumps, and triggers
- Keep accepted material empty and in the condition requested
Film and mixed rigid plastics
Verify the destination and quantity first
Flexible film
Not a default curbside item in the U.S.
- Ask whether the location accepts bags, wrap, or only certain films
- Many U.S. programs direct residents to a store or dedicated drop-off
- Ontario's 2026 list includes specified flexible packaging for recycling
- Keep film clean and empty to the receiving program's instructions
Colored HDPE and mixed rigid plastics
Do not mix unless the buyer says to
- Check accepted item types and color grades
- Ask whether a mixed-rigid grade is available
- Do not assume every numbered plastic has a local buyer
- Ask for a quote on the grade you can actually deliver
What makes a quote useful?
Ask for a dated quote for the material you have, delivered in the condition and quantity you can provide. Work out the net return as accepted weight times the quoted rate, minus deductions, fees, and your hauling cost. A curbside acceptance list is not a price quote, and a public price index is not a guaranteed local offer.
Ask the buyer
- Accepted grade: Which exact items, resins, and colors can be included?
- Preparation: Do caps, labels, pumps, and rings stay on? How clean and dry must the material be?
- Minimum amount: What weight or bale format is required, and do you accept loose household quantities?
- Payment terms: What is the rate date, scale method, moisture or contamination deduction, and any fee?
Count the full cost
- Rejected material: Ask how the buyer handles an item outside the quoted grade.
- Deductions: Confirm whether moisture, residue, or other material changes payable weight.
- Transport: Include fuel, time, equipment, and unloading in your estimate.
- Volume: Do not collect material until the buyer confirms that amount is worth receiving.
Keep the curbside and buyer questions separate
Municipal lists answer whether an item belongs in a resident's cart. A drop-off operator answers whether it accepts that item at its site. A scrap buyer answers which grade it purchases and on what terms. Verify each route directly; one answer does not establish the others.
What contamination drops plastic recycling value?
Local lists differ by material and format. EPA's U.S. guidance generally sends film to store drop-off; Ontario's 2026 list includes specified flexible packaging and foam; NYC accepts most rigid plastic by item, regardless of resin number, but excludes soft plastics and foam. Compare the current EPA guidance, Ontario list, and NYC DSNY rules; then see the contamination guide.
Material in the wrong stream
- Film or bags: only where the specific program accepts them
- Foam: check the local item list; acceptance varies
- Mixed layers: pouches may not follow rigid-container rules
- Batteries and electronics: use their dedicated collection route
- Other plastics: a resin code is not a curbside guarantee
Food or liquid left inside
- Drain: empty accepted bottles, tubs, and jars
- Scrape: remove food scraps before recycling packaging
- Rinse if needed: follow the local cleanliness rule
- Hazardous residue: use the local special-waste route
- Do not wash to spotless: EPA says scrape-clean can be enough
Buyer-specific grade rules
- Color: ask whether clear and colored items must be split
- Caps and pumps: confirm whether they stay on or come off
- Labels: do not peel unless the receiver asks
- Moisture: confirm whether the buyer sets a dry-load rule
- Quantity: ask about minimum weight before collecting
How should you prepare plastic for a buyer?
Keep local curbside instructions separate from commercial buyer specifications. Do not guess a grade from appearance alone.
PET bottles and other rigid containers
1. Sort
- Confirm the buyer accepts this container type and resin
- Separate colors only if the buyer asks for separate grades
- Ask how to handle caps, rings, pumps, and attached parts
- Keep pouches and mixed-layer packaging out unless specifically accepted
2. Clean
- Empty; scrape or rinse visible food residue as the buyer requires
- Do not remove caps, rings, or labels unless the buyer asks
- Keep accepted containers dry if the buyer specifies a dry load
- Do not spend time peeling labels without a written specification
3. Check and pack
- Confirm grade and minimum amount before loading
- Ask how the buyer will weigh and grade the material
- Do not bale or crush unless the buyer requests that format
Film
1. Confirm it is film
- Check whether your local program or drop-off accepts the exact film type
- EPA's U.S. guidance generally sends bags, wrap, and film to store drop-off, not household carts
- Ontario's 2026 list accepts specified flexible packaging; check your community instructions
- Do not burn or heat plastic to identify it
2. Pull contaminants
- Empty food and product from accepted film
- Keep it clean and prepare it as the receiving program specifies
- Ask whether the drop-off accepts wrappers as well as bags
- Do not combine film with rigid plastic unless instructed
3. Bale
- Ask the buyer for the minimum amount and accepted format
- Do not compact or bale without the buyer's instructions
- Confirm whether moisture or residue changes the grade
- Get a current quote before collecting more material
Before you make a trip
Confirm the route
Call with a list or photo of the items and ask whether that location accepts them.
Confirm the terms
Ask whether it pays, what minimum quantity it requires, and how it grades the load.
Where can you take plastic for recycling?
RecycleFind lists plastic recycling centers by city and state. Call before you haul.
Ask the buyer which grades they purchase (clear PET, natural HDPE, film, mixed rigids), the minimum weight, and whether they want bottles loose or baled. Keep each grade in its own container so the scale ticket matches what you sorted.
A pickup with a tarp is enough for household and small commercial loads. Separate bins at the source (clear bottles vs jugs vs film) beat re-sorting in the driveway. RecycleFind lists 6,300+ recycling centers across the United States. Search is free.
Frequently asked questions
What plastic types pay the most?
There is no reliable nationwide household price. A buyer may quote clean, separated PET, HDPE, or film differently from a mixed or loose load, and may not buy small quantities. Ask for today's grade, preparation rules, minimum amount, deductions, and net payment before hauling.
How do you identify plastic without the recycling code?
Do not use a home burn, smell, or float test to decide what goes in curbside recycling. Check the package or manufacturer for the material, then use your local program's accepted-items list. If you are selling a load, ask the buyer to identify and specify the grade.
What contamination affects a plastic load?
The main practical risks are material the receiver does not accept, food or liquid left inside, and mixing grades the buyer wants separated. Color, caps, labels, and attached parts are buyer-specific sorting rules; do not remove them unless the local program or buyer asks.
How much plastic do you need before a buyer will take it?
There is no standard minimum. A neighborhood drop-off, municipal program, store take-back, and commercial buyer may have different quantity limits. Call the specific location and confirm the material, minimum amount, container or bale format, and whether it pays.
What do PET and HDPE bales sell for?
Prices change by buyer, date, resin grade, color, cleanliness, volume, and delivery cost. RecycleFind does not guarantee a quote. Request the current price in writing and ask about scale weight, contamination or moisture deductions, minimum load, and any fees.
What does a plastic collection route require?
Confirm that the buyer accepts the exact items and volume you can collect, then check local business, transport, storage, and fire-safety requirements. Do not assume household curbside rules match a commercial buyer's specifications.