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Question:

Why aren't all plastics recycled, such as the plastic tubes that many skin care products come in?

It seems to me that if this country is serious about environmental issues, we should not be packaging products in anything that cannot be recycled. The world is becoming one big garbage dump!

Answer:

It may not be economical, contamination from the contents, or the plastic type used may not be one suitable for reprocessing. Not all plastics can be conveniently recycled. Cosmetics are a multi billion dollar a year business. If you want to see responsible packaging, you may have to do without the conveniences of some types of packaging. However if you are serious- There are environmentally freindly alternatives available, plus you can vote with your wallet- don't buy the products if they are not easily recycled if that is your choice. If you see a phone number or a web address on a bottle or packaging- contact them, let them know of your dismay about the packaging and ask they change it to something more suitable. After all, it only took one letter of disapproval for Mitsubishi to cut all advertising on the Fox show Married with Children because that one person did not like how the show portrayed the family and she did not think Mitsubishi should sponsor it because of that. They agreed with her and pulled their ads. The right letter to the right person at the right time can sometimes make all the difference in the world.
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All plastics can be recycled - as long as there is a recycling facility capable of recycling them. Plastics do degrade each time they are recycled, but they can serve many uses. We need to purchase those items that can be recycled where we live, this forces the companies making the items to use recyclable materials. Certain facilities can only recycle certain types of plastics, usually the ones they can make a profit from. For example, it is not cost effective to fill a semi with styrofoam from Michigan for processing in Florida or California, one of the few places where it is recycled. To find out how you can recycle plastics in your area and learn more about recycling go here:
Most kinds of plastics can be recycled if someone is willing to go to the trouble to set up the systems to do so. However, some kinds of plastics are either more difficult (expensive) to recycle, or the markets for the recycled plastic are too small or of such low value that nobody is willing to process them. Sometimes the plastic in a package may be of a type that is commonly recycled, but the manufacturer may not put the necessary recycling symbol on it. This can be true of very small packages. Just because a plastic package is technically recyclable does not mean it will be recycled. Mixed plastic recyclables are sent to sorting centers where the more common and more valuable types are segregated. The remaining plastics that are not worth recycling are either sent to landfill or sometimes lumped together and recycled into lower value materials where blends of different types of plastic are acceptable (e.g. construction materials). And of course not everybody recycles. Many people just throw recyclable materials in the general trash. And keep in mind that some packages, especially for food and personal care products, are made of several layers of different types of plastics. These can't be recycled because the different types of plastics can't be separated.

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