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KNOW YOUR PLASTIC
Understand the Plastic Around You
Plastic is everywhere—from water bottles and food containers to shopping bags and snack wrappers. But not every plastic is the same, and not every plastic can be recycled in the same way.
Learning to identify plastic is the first step toward responsible segregation and better waste management.
Why Should You Know Your Plastic?
Different plastics have different properties, uses, and recycling possibilities.
When plastics are mixed together or disposed of incorrectly, recycling becomes difficult and more waste can end up in landfills, waterways, and the environment.
Knowing your plastic helps you:
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Identify what you are throwing away
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Segregate waste correctly at the source
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Understand what can and cannot be recycled easily
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Recognize difficult-to-recycle packaging
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Make more responsible everyday choices
Meet the 7 Types of Plastic
The Plastic That Often Gets Left Behind
The Plastic That Often Gets Left BehindMulti-Layer Plastic PackagingSome everyday wrappers are made by combining multiple layers of plastic and other materials to protect food, extend shelf life and prevent moisture from entering.
Because these layers are bonded together, they can be difficult to process through conventional recycling systems.This is where better segregation, collection and advanced material recovery solutions become important.
Before You Throw It Away
LOOK
Check the packaging and identify the material or recycling symbol.
CLEAN
Remove leftover food, liquids and other contaminants where appropriate.
SEGREGATE
Keep recyclable and recoverable plastics separate from wet and organic waste.
COLLECT
Use an appropriate collection or recovery channel available in your community.
Small Actions.
Better Material Recovery.
When plastic is correctly identified and segregated at the source, it has a better chance of entering an appropriate recovery pathway instead of escaping into the environment.
Know it. Separate it. Keep it in the loop.
What Happens in the Future?
If plastic continues to be produced, used, and discarded without proper segregation and recovery, more of it can accumulate in landfills and the natural environment. Over time, larger plastic items can fragment into smaller microplastics and nanoplastics, making them increasingly difficult to remove.
The Future Can Be Different
The future does not have to follow this path. Source segregation, responsible collection, advanced cleaning, recycling and upcycling can keep valuable plastic materials in circulation and reduce their escape into the environment.
"What we do with plastic today shapes the environment we live in tomorrow"