Plastic No 7 – All Other Plastics
Recycling Code 7
There are six main categories of plastic waste and anything else that doesn’t fit into these falls under code 7. Where possible, recycling code 7 plastic is vital to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. However, because code 7 includes a wide array of plastic waste types, not everything is recyclable.
Separating recyclable plastics from non-recyclable and biodegradable plastic waste is ideal to ensure as much as possible is reused. This isn’t always realistic though, which is why lots of unallocated and miscellaneous plastic waste is classed as code 7.
What is code 7 recycling?
Code 7 recycling is a catch-all term used to cover all the types of plastic that don’t fall under any of the other six categories. Products that include the code 7 recycling logo may be made of multiple types of plastic or one single material that doesn’t fall under any of the other six codes.
Some common plastic types that fall under code 7 include:
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Polycarbonate (PC)
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Polylactic Acid (PLA)
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Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
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Acrylic
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Fibreglass
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Nylon
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Can type 7 plastic be recycled?
Recycling type 7 plastic is tricky as it doesn’t refer to one specific waste material. Some of the waste that falls under plastic recycling code 7 is made from multiple plastic types that are hard or impossible to separate and recycle. Other items are simply made from plastic materials that aren’t currently recyclable.
However, some types of code 7 plastic are recyclable – such as polycarbonate. Therefore, it’s always worth sending code 7 plastic for recycling, as they should be sorted and separated at the recycling centre. This helps any recyclable materials be picked out and reused, while everything else should be disposed of responsibly.
Recycling code 7 plastics at home is difficult. Most local authorities and councils don’t accept waste items with the code 7 logo as sorting, processing, and recycling can be too time-consuming and expensive.