Green Daily

Number five plastic is ubiquitous. Your prescription bottles have it, your yogurt containers, the lids to your soda bottles, and more. Well, I found a little something out that I thought might interest all of you out there in Greenville.

Stonyfield Farms will take their yogurt containers back if your community doesn't recycle #5 plastic and you can't stand the idea of throwing them away. I tend to use my quart containers of #5 plastic for other things (paint brushes, leftovers, bulk catnip), but usually I end up needing to throw some away.

Stonyfield explains on its Website that the company chose to go with #5 because it can use less plastic in making the containers than if #2 were used. Moreover, many communities don't actually recycle wide mouthed #2 containers. The company believes its reduction in packaging outweighs the benefits of using #2. But if you aren't happy throwing away your #5, you can send your clean yogurt containers to the company. Their people will recycle them for you.

One more thing about #5 - more communities are recycling them. St. Louis, for example, happily accepts #5 plastic. Houston and Chicago do, too. Check out your community's recycling page to figure out what's available in your area.