Plastic #5 (Polypropylene)

Alternative ways to recycle
IGB Lab Special Instructions Other Recycling

IGB LAB USERS ONLY:

Place empty pipette tip boxes or racks (Plastic #5 ONLY) in designated bins in the lab labeled:

Special Recycling – Hard Plastics

Tip: Look for #5 Polypropylene Plastic Code Symbol 

Food Contaminant Yogurt Cup

Clean Out Containers

Before recycling a plastic container that once held food, get the container as clean and dry as possible. Containers that hold recycling contaminants like food are often separated out and sent to a landfill.

plastic bottle caps

Keep Caps On

When recycling plastic water bottles or plastic containers with colorful caps, leave the cap on. While caps used to be difficult to separate from bottles, recycling locations have advanced, and it is much easier now to recycle the whole bottle at once. Find out more.

no heat

Avoid Heating Plastic

Keep plastics containing food or drink out of the dishwasher or other hot places, like your car. The warmer plastic gets, the more it tends to break down, melt and release chemicals.

Alternative Ways to Recycle

preserve gimme 5 logo

Preserve® Gimme 5 Program

Send your plastic #5 containers to the Preserve® Gimme 5 Recycling Program, which accepts plastic #5 at various drop box locations as well as by mail. See a list of the products they accept here.

Did You Know?

What Plastic #5 Can Become

Plastic #5 can be recycled into battery cables and cases, brooms, brushes, bicycle racks and ice scrapers.