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Understanding Dangerous Plastics

What does the recycling symbol on the bottom of a plastic object mean?

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Michael Schade
PVC Campaign Coordinator, The Center for Health, Environment & Justice
www.chej.org  
212-964-3680

The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) is the only national environmental organization that was founded and is led by a grassroots leader.  Lois Gibbs founded CHEJ after winning the nation’s first community relocation of 900 families due to a leaking toxic waste dump in Love Canal, New York.  Through this effort she also woke up the nation to recognize the link between people’s exposures to dangerous chemicals in the community setting and serious public health impacts.

CHEJ was instrumental in establishing some of the first national policies critical to protecting community health like the Superfund Program, Right-to-Know and others. By pioneering the effort nationwide to protect communities from exposures to dangerous environmental chemicals, in the air, water and soil, CHEJ has become the preeminent national leader among grassroots groups reducing the burden of toxic substances on our environment.

CHEJ is different from other environmental organizations.  It was created out of a commitment and passion to work with communities at risk, to empower local families to take steps to protect their neighborhoods and families from unnecessary chemical threats.  Through skill training, strategic analysis and scientific research, CHEJ has worked with over ten thousand groups since our founding.

CHEJ’s overarching goal has consistently been to prevent harm—particularly among vulnerable populations such as children.  If a safer process, material or product exists it should be used.  We believe that everyone, regardless of income, race, religion, or occupation, has a right to live, work, learn, play and pray in a healthy community.

CHEJ is a leader in advocating responsible corporate behavior (located in communities and selling products to families) in replacing outdated chemicals with safe, affordable alternatives to build long-term, safe economic opportunities and community benefits.   Our twenty years of experience in this arena extends from moving McDonalds away from Styrofoam in 1986 to moving Microsoft away from PVC plastic in 2006.

CHEJ works as a convener bringing together organizations from different walks of life like teachers, doctors, nurses, blue-collar workers and faith-based leaders.  Through building strategic partnerships we create a more powerful and diverse collaborative effort for advocating healthy communities everywhere.

What does the recycling symbol on the bottom of a plastic object mean?

 

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Bpa

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Plastic

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Pvc

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Bisphenol-a

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Dangerous

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Poison

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Lead

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Chemicals

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Recycle

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Transcripts

Host: What does the recycling symbol on the bottom of a plastic object mean?

Michael Schade: Just because the plastic has a recycling symbol on it, does not mean that it's recyclable. What the recycling symbol tells you is that what type of plastic it is. Typically, those that can be recycled for most communities, are the numbers 1 or the number 2. Some communities will accept different numbers, so if you want to find out whether or not a plastic is recyclable, what you need to do is you need to call your city, town or a county, environmental office or environmental agency or solid waste department and ask them what types of plastics are recyclable. Because it really varies from city to city across the country but typically, it's numbers 1 or the number 2 that are most commonly accepted.

To watch the other segments in this video series or for How to videos on almost any other topic, visit monkeysee.

com.

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