Recycling Process Q&A

Common misconceptions about plastic recycling

When we hear from customers that they want to participate in our fully energy-efficient, closed-loop plastic recycling process, it’s usually followed by a few questions. That’s why we’re here to start you off on the right foot by addressing some of the common misconceptions and myths about plastic recycling and by answering questions that we hear from customers.

“Recycling is challenging for growers, and it’s difficult to get materials to recycling centers.”

It can be difficult, but with East Jordan Plastics it’s not. For example, we pick up plastic material across the United States and in some areas of Canada to make it easier for you to be a part of the process. We also accept deliveries of plastic material if that’s easier for you. If you’re interested in sending a delivery of plastic to us for recycling, please email sh_deliveries@ejplastics.com or call 269-637-3700 ext. 3320 in advance to schedule a delivery.

After contacting us, it usually takes about two weeks for us to pick up your plastic material because we typically try to pick up plastic when we’re delivering our finished products.

“I don’t have enough plastic for it to be worth recycling.”

The minimum quantity for pick-ups is handled on a case-by-case basis, and you don’t necessarily have to have an entire truckload of plastic material to recycle. We work with growers to figure out a solution to help them get their plastic material to us. However, in many cases, pick-ups are not guaranteed until we coordinate plastic material pick-ups with other growers in your area so our trucks can be as full as possible. 

If you’re a grower, and you know other growers in your area that are interested in recycling plastic material, we encourage you to consolidate material at a central location for pick-up. If you do this, you should have each individual grower mark their individual skid of plastic material with their greenhouse information. This helps us ensure everyone gets credited properly.

“It’s hard to know what plastics you can and cannot recycle.”

While there’s truth to this, we work hard to make the process as streamlined and straightforward as possible. We believe that if we do the extra work and make it convenient for you, you’ll understand why the sustainable choice is the right choice. 

We currently accept polystyrene (P.S. #6), polypropylene (P.P. #5) and high-density polyethylene (H.D.P.E. #2), and we allow you to send us multiple material types at the same time (each individual pallet or bale of plastic must be of the same material type, though). Material also does not need to be sorted by color, just by plastic type. But you might ask yourself “How can I identify what type of plastic material I have?” Good question! Here’s some easy-to-understand advice to help you out:

Polystyrene – P.S. #6

• Containers marked with recycling code P.S. #6
• Generally SHUTTLE TRAY® flower trays, flats, and inserts
• Most plug & propagation trays as well as liners and inserts
• All colors and printed containers are accepted

Polypropylene – P.P. #5

• Containers marked with recycling code P.P. #5
• Injection-molded SHUTTLE TRAY^® flower trays and pots
• Tough and will not easily tear
• Web flats
• Most injection molded containers
• All colors and printed containers are accepted

High Density Polyethylene – H.D.P.E. #2

• Containers marked with recycling code H.D.P.E #2
• Mostly large blow molded or injection molded nursery pots
• Tough and will not easily tear
• All colors and printed containers are accepted

“I don’t know if you need to sort materials for recycling, but it’s probably hard.”

It’s not that it’s difficult to sort materials for recycling, it’s more about knowing the sorting and packaging requirements for the process. With the proper knowledge, it’s a breeze to know what to do to recycle. Here’s a quick list of our guidelines:

• We recycle used or obsolete horticultural containers and tags (trays, flats, inserts, pots, etc.)
• Material must be separated by plastic type (i.e. #6, #5, #2)
• Containers must be palletized or baled
• Tags can be left in their original packaging with bands and/or twist ties intact
• Nesting and palletizing like containers helps segregate like materials
• Each pallet or bale must be comprised of the same material type
• Excess growing media must be removed from containers
• Paper and other foreign material must be removed. Adhesive labels are okay.
• Bales must have adequate banding to ensure they do not fall apart
• Pallets need to be stable and heights should be 90-100” or 48” for double stacking
• Pallets should be wrapped and/or banded to secure material
• Pallets and bales must be marked with shipper’s identification

Have more questions on the recycling process?

We’re ready to answer! Head over to our contact us page and drop us a line.