Plastic #5 (Polypropylene) Alternative ways to recycle Curbside Recycling Clean Out Containers If a container once held food, clean and dry the container as well as you can before recycling it. Containers with food, liquids and other residues can contaminate whole batches of recycling and are often sent to a landfill. 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 equipment and processes have advanced, and it is much easier now to recycle the whole bottle at once. Find out more. Avoid Heating Plastic Keep plastics containing food or drink out of the microwave, dishwasher and 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 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.
