Recycling by Number

I went through my cabinets and pantry this afternoon just to see what numbers were on the bottoms of my plastic packaged goods.
The numbers mean the following (*info found at The Daily Green):

1. PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
2. HDPE (high density polyethylene)
3. V (Vinyl) or PVC
4. LDPE (low density polyethylene)
5. PP (polypropylene)
6. PS (polystyrene)
7. Miscellaneous

The overwhelming majority of the plastics in my home are labeled 1. This is a good thing, since number 1 plastics seem to be the easiest to recycle. They are picked up by curbside recycling/garbage services. There were a fair number of number 2 plastics, mostly from under my sink. Cleaning products and dog shampoos were the majority of the number 2's. These are also picked up by most curbside companies. The only number 3's I found were my shampoo bottles. This is good, I guess, because according to The Daily Green, these are rarely recycled. I only found one 4. These are sometimes not accepted by curbside programs. Numbers 5 and 6 had a small number in my house, and both can be recycled through my curbside pickup. Number 6 products have been researched and can possibly leak toxins into food when used to store it. Number 7's are not traditionally recycled, and according to The Daily Green, they can emit hormone disruptors. This is the category of products that just do not fit into anything else...so they are stuck here. There were two number 7 products in my home.

Of course, I didn't go through and check every single product that had a number on the bottom...That would have taken a week. I did a quick run through of my kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room just to get a general idea. I feel better knowing that most of the plastics in my home can be thrown in to my recycle bin and rolled to the end of the driveway for pickup on Tuesday mornings.