Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County only collects what it can recycle.  Local plastics markets only want to purchase #1 and #2 bottles and jugs.  Before you recycle , check the bottom or side of your bottle or jug for a #1 or #2 inside a recycling symbol.  But wait-there's more!

You must also check the neck to see if the container is a pour bottle.  In other words, is the neck smaller than the base?  If so, it is okay; if not, THROW IT AWAY!  Here's why.

Other shapes or forms of #1 or #2 plastic such as margarine tubs, yogurt cups, and frozen food trays have different physical and manufacturing properties than the type of plastic East Coast manufacturers are willing to purchase.  Thus, any type of plastic, other than #1 or #2 bottles or jugs, contaminates county recycling efforts and should be thrown away as part of your regular trash.

Recently, our markets have rejected entire loads of plastics due to high contamination levels.  Remember, only #1 and #2 pour bottles, and "When in Doubt, Leave it Out."

The uses for recycled plastic continue to grow. In 1997, one-third of all polyester carpet manufactured in the United States contained plastic from recycled soda bottles. A wide variety of products contain the plastic bottles Fairfax County residents put in their recycling bins. It is now common to find recycled plastic fiber in T-shirts, sports bottles, Frisbees(TM), office and school supplies, tote bags, traffic control products, park benches and playground equipment, just to name a few. Even though plastics recycling has become more common, there is still a great deal of confusion over what to include, what to discard and how to prepare plastic containers for the recycling bin.

• What's OK: The most common types of #1 and #2 plastics are soda, water and shampoo bottles, and milk, juice, bleach and detergent jugs.


• What's not OK: Yogurt cups and margarine tubs are also #1 or #2, but have undergone a different manufacturing process and posses different physical properties from bottles and jugs. It harms the process when residents attempt to recycle and type of #1 or #2 container other than a bottle or a jug. Please throw away cups, tubs, or other shapes of plastic as part of household trash.