Where to Find the Number
Every plastic item has a resin identification code — a number from 1-7 inside a triangle of arrows.
Where to look: Bottom of bottles and containers, underside of lids, side of plastic bins.
Important: The triangle does NOT mean "recyclable." It just identifies the plastic type.
Resin code on plastic container bottom
#1 PETE — The Good One
What it is: Polyethylene terephthalate
Common items: Water bottles, soda bottles, peanut butter jars, salad dressing bottles
Sacramento: YES — Put in blue bin. Rinse first. Most valuable recycled plastic.
PETE plastic products
#2 HDPE — Also Good
What it is: High-density polyethylene
Common items: Milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, shampoo bottles
Sacramento: YES — Milk jugs are recycling gold. Always recycle these.
Note: HDPE bags (grocery bags) are different — don't put those in the bin. Take to store drop-off.
HDPE plastic products
#3 PVC — The Problem Child
What it is: Polyvinyl chloride
Common items: Pipes, vinyl siding, some food wrap, blister packaging
Sacramento: NO — Contains chlorine that contaminates recycling. Trash it.
PVC items - not recyclable
#4 LDPE — Usually Trash
What it is: Low-density polyethylene
Common items: Plastic bags, bread bags, produce bags, squeezable bottles
Sacramento: LIMITED — Rigid containers maybe. Bags = NO (they jam machines).
Bags: Take to grocery store drop-off bins. Never curbside.
LDPE items - limited recyclability
#5 PP — Check Local Rules
What it is: Polypropylene
Common items: Yogurt containers, butter tubs, bottle caps, medicine bottles
Sacramento: YES (rigid containers) — Yogurt cups and butter tubs accepted.
Caps: Sacramento says leave caps ON your bottles.
PP items - variable recyclability
#6 PS/Styrofoam — The Nightmare
What it is: Polystyrene
Common items: Styrofoam cups, takeout containers, packing peanuts, foam egg cartons
Sacramento: NO — Made of 95% air. Too expensive to recycle. Trash it.
Polystyrene - not recyclable
#7 "Other" — Usually Trash
What it is: Everything else (mixed plastics, bioplastics, etc.)
Common items: Water cooler bottles, "compostable" utensils, sunglasses, DVDs
Sacramento: NO — Can't be sorted. "Compostable" plastics go here too — they need industrial composting.
Category 7 plastics - mostly not recyclable
Sacramento Quick Reference
| Code | Name | Sacramento? | |------|------|-------------| | #1 | PETE | YES | | #2 | HDPE | YES | | #3 | PVC | NO | | #4 | LDPE | LIMITED | | #5 | PP | YES (rigid) | | #6 | PS | NO | | #7 | Other | NO |
The golden rule: When in doubt, throw it out. Wishcycling makes recycling worse.
Sacramento plastic recycling cheat sheet