Is it true that if a plastic bottle has a bottle cap the recycling company won't recycle it?

Question

I heard a rumor that the recycling companies won't recycle your plastic bottles if there are caps left on them! They'll just throw them away! Is this true?

Answer 1

My understanding is that isn't true.  However, leaving the cap on your bottles can create a bit of a safety hazard to the workers at the material recovery facility that it ends up at.  When they bale plastic, they compress it.  Under heavy compression, that cap can become a high-velocity projectile (it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!).  Not to mention, the bottles are generally made of a grade of plastic (#2 HDPE) than the cap.  #1 & #2 plastics are about eight times more valuble on the recycling market than #3-7 plastics, thus contamination results in a lower quality material to the eventual buyer.

Answer 2

I was told by the director of waste management in my area that a bottle cap is a different kind of plastic than the actual bottle so it won't be recycled together - however most plants have workers that monitor the intake and separate the different plastics before it goes into the melting process.

Answer 3

Generally the caps are made of different material..  So even if a recycler can recycle the bottle with a cap on, there needs to be a way of separating the two.

So you are doing the recycler a favor by removing the cap and the label.

Answer 4

I was under the understanding that you should always remove the caps and lables.

Answer 5

no

Answer 6

If the lid has a number 1, 2, or 3 on it, it can be recycled.  However, you should separate the lids from the bottles, as the extreme heat in the recycling process could cause the bottles to explode.

Answer 7

wrong- you can leave the cap on.