What do the numbers on the bottom of recyclable bottles and items mean? The answer was located on the recycle.com website.

A: These numbers tell us from what kind of plastic the container was made. If different kinds of plastic are recycled together, the whole batch is ruined. These numbers make it easy for people to know which containers are recyclable in their community and which are not. These numbers break all plastics down into 7 categories.

#1- PET - Polyethylene Teraphthalate. Almost every transparent plastic bottle is made from this kind of plastic. This includes soda bottles and large clear juice bottles.

#2 - HDPE - High Density Polyethylene. This plastic comes in many different forms. It can be made without color as it is in milk jugs. It can be dyed any color for detergent bottles or plastic buckets. Dyed HDPE is worth less money to recyclers than clear HDPE. They are usually kept separate when recycled.

There are also two different ways to make containers out of HDPE, Injection Molding or Blow Molding. Injection molded containers have a large mouth and a little dot on the bottom. Yogurt containers and butter tubs are made this way. Blow molded containers have a narrow mouth and a seam that runs from one side of the mouth under the bottom and back to the other side of the mouth. Different chemicals are used in these processes. This makes these two kinds of HDPE slightly different, so they can't be mixed when recycled. Check with your local government to see which kinds of HDPE your community accepts.

#3 - V - Polyvinyl Chloride. This plastic, called PVC for short, holds up better against some oils and alcohols than PET or HDPE. It is frequently used for salad dressing bottles and mouthwash. PVC makes up a small amount of the plastic we use so most communities do not accept PVC for recycling. PVC is recycled when large quantities are available; such as if new siding made from PVC is put on your house.

#4 - LDPE - Low Density Polyethylene. This is a lightweight version of HDPE. It is frequently used for garbage bags and bread bags. LDPE is recyclable, but it is very expensive to transport because it is so light. As a result most communities do not recycle LDPE.

#5 - PP - Polypropylene. This plastic is commonly used for battery casings and butter tubs. PP is very easy to recycle but most communities do not use enough PP to make it cost effective to recycle it. Therefore, most communities do not collect it. PP is recycled, however, by industries that use large quantities of it.

#6 - PS - Polystyrene. This is a common plastic with many uses. It is often referred to by a brand name "Styrofoam" PS is used to make coolers, plastic silverware, food boxes, egg cartons, and disposable dishes. PS is very light and expensive to transport. This makes it very expensive to recycle. Because of this, most communities do not accept PS.